


You Don't Look Good in Orange

by sensationalxbitch



Category: Orange is the New Black, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alliances, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Heavy drug usage, Jughead Jones is an antagonist, Light political banter, OITNB - Freeform, Penny Peabody is an antagonist, Prison, Prison Family, Prison Riot, Smut, Southside Serpents vs. Ghoulies vs. Penny Peabody, friends - Freeform, southside serpents, toni is a druggie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:14:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22320910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sensationalxbitch/pseuds/sensationalxbitch
Summary: Toni Topaz fell into the wrong path and faded into a drug user, supplied my Jughead Jones, the renowned drug dealer and party host. Toni was imprisoned for one ounce of weed. She's been behind bars for a year and is looking to get out in a couple of weeks. She has an internal conflict with herself that she ruined her and Cheryl's perfect life together. Cheryl reassures her as she visits the prison weekly. As time goes on, Toni realizes she has kept many more secrets from Cheryl than previously thought.ORToni is in prison and looking to get out soon. Prison is rough, depressing, and lonely and she thinks of the outside world as she used to know it. However, life moves on outside of prison and Toni has no idea there's a lot more going on than she knows.**TW: Drug usage and absent mothers**
Relationships: Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz, Fangs Fogarty & Sweet Pea, Fangs Fogarty & Sweet Pea & Toni Topaz, Lorna Morello & Nicky Nichols, Lorna Morello/Nicky Nichols, Nicky Nichols & Galina "Red" Reznikov, Toni Topaz & Tricia Miller, Toni Topaz/Cheryl Blossom, Tricia Miller/Mercy Valduto, Veronica Lodge/Sweet Pea
Comments: 48
Kudos: 123





	1. I Fucked Up Our Perfect Life

“You don’t look good in orange,” Cheryl said while peering into the glass at her girlfriend.

A sly smirk appeared on her chapped lips, “That’s rude.”

“No! Not like that! I meant,” she sighed as she pressed the receiver of the phone close to her mouth, “you don’t look good in _that_ orange.”

Toni looked down at her bright orange jumpsuit with her slightly curly pink hair covering her prisoner ID. She looked back to Cheryl with sadness in her eyes. “I know what you mean.”

There was a moment of just eye contact between them. No words had to be spoken. They loved each other, it was simple. They weren’t married, and probably won’t be for a while, but Cheryl Blossom, no matter how impatient she’s been in the past for what she wanted, was going to wait for Toni Topaz. 

“My court hearing is in two weeks, babe. I heard they’ve been letting a lot of people out, the ones who have been on good behavior of course.”

“And you’ve been good?” Cheryl raised a singular manicured eyebrow.

Toni smiled and rolled her eyes. “Do you expect less from me?” 

The redhead just shrugged and kept a cute smile on her face. 

"Listen, I got sentenced for one ounce of weed and I’m not lookin’ to get more time. I wanna be home... with you. I can’t tell you how much it kills me to not be able to even hold your hand, feel you in my bed in the morning, kiss you goodnight. I messed up and I’m sorry.”

“TT, every time I come here, I feel like you’re always apologizing.” Cheryl felt tears sting at her eyes but she didn’t want to cry in front of Toni. She wanted Toni to feel anything but guilty.

“I should be apologizing. I fucked up our perfect life.”

“No, babe, it wasn’t you. It was the Southside.” Hearing this, Toni tried to defend her home, but Cheryl held up a finger signaling for her to wait. “I love the Southside, okay? I’m not saying anything bad about it but it _is_ easier to get drugs from there and to get caught. The Southside is clearly targeted by the police.”

“It would have been the same on the Northside. I’m a Serpent and not to turn this into a political issue, but... _do you see the color I am?_ ” Toni kept her voice at a whisper.

Cheryl sighed and looked down at the glass. She dragged her nail across the glass distractedly and cradled the phone to her ear with her other hand. “I just wish I could actually touch you.”

Toni placed her finger against the glass and mirrored Cheryl’s own finger. “I know, baby.”

“Why couldn’t you have been put in one of those prisons where visitation is out in the open?” Their eyes met.

“Wasn’t in the cards,” Toni half-smiled. In this situation, Toni would typically grab Cheryl’s hand. Right now, all she could do was look at it. Even after a year of incarceration, her old habits never died.

“Visitation ends in one minute! _One minute, inmates!_ ” A hardy voice rang from behind Toni. Her shoulders tensed instinctually. 

“Jesus, ten minutes two days a week is fucking ridiculous. Prison is supposed to rehabilitate you so you’ll be ready to be put back into society. If you want to return to how life was you need to spend time with your loved ones. How the hell do they expect you to be ready by the end of your sentence if I’m not spending time with you?”

Cheryl was pissed and Toni was loving it. She likes when the redhead is angry at anything, besides her obviously. Especially because Toni is also mad at the situation she is in but it appears Cheryl is even angrier. Toni was just smiling at her with every ounce of love in her eyes.

“What?”

“You’re seriously so cute.” Toni bit her lip to prevent a bigger smile from growing.

“Shut up.”

“Make me.”

“That’s impossible to do at the moment.” Cheryl cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. 

Toni smiled.

“Ten seconds and you’re outta here!”

“Okay, I love you, baby. I’ll be home soon.”

“I love you too. I’ll start planning your ‘Welcome Home’ party.” Cheryl kissed her fingers and placed her hand on the glass. Toni did the same.

“I swear sometimes I just don’t deserve you.”

“Yes, you do.”

“Let’s go, inmates!” The gravelly voice yelled.

“Alright. I have to go, baby,” Toni took her hand away and stood up slowly.

“I love you.” Cheryl smiled slightly. 

“I love you.” Toni repeated and hung up the phone before being placed into a line of other criminals. She looked back to her girlfriend one last time and gave her a wink.

Cheryl hung up the phone before being told by a policeman that it was time to leave. Before leaving the room, the Blossom heir blew a kiss to her girlfriend.

Toni smiled as the buzzer went off and the visitation door opened. Three guards escorted the ten inmates. One holding the door, one behind the incarcerated, and one in the hall they would be going through. The guard directed them to start moving and the line started out the door. Toni was the fourth person out of seven. All of the jumpsuit-clad women shuffled on their way back to their cell, which they spend most of their time in. Toni’s cell number was 316. Third tier out of five, sixteenth cell out of twenty-one in her row. 

It takes an hour and a half into visitation hours for Toni to see Cheryl. Visitation begins at nine in the morning. Seven inmates are then taken to the visiting room if they have someone to see, otherwise they stay in their cell. Toni always had someone to see. _Her_ someone.

After the annoying and tedious three unnecessary minutes wasted to make sure Toni gets back in her cell as if she isn’t the most well-behaved inmate in this damned place, she slumped onto her bed, the bottom bunk, and began writing her letter addressed to Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Jughead. Considering they were all from the Southside and all well-known Serpents, Toni didn’t want them to risk their freedom by visiting her. The cops were already suspicious enough of the boys and Toni would never be able to forgive herself if they were arrested on their way to see her. She told them to stay where they belong and that she will write to them on occasion. Turns out ‘on occasion’ meant three times a week. 

Toni’s cellmate was sitting on their toilet and using their counter as a desk. She was an extremely talented artist, the Topaz girl thought, and made sure to let her know that. 

“What’re you workin’ on?” Toni’s curiosity peaked as she lifted her head after signing her name.

“Noir piece.”

“Yeah, it seems like you’ve been doing a lot of black and white,” Toni laughed and the other girl let a smile slip. 

“Hard to see color in here.” 

Her name was Tricia Miller and she had just turned nineteen. Life had put her on the wrong path and she was living out on the street since fifteen. She dropped out of school, or rather, just stopped going. She didn’t have time to learn when she needed to keep up with the bills because her mother spent most of their money on her precious crystal meth. She still doesn’t know where her mother is. Tricia got on drugs herself but she overcame her addiction since her sentencing of four years. She’s doing time for drug charges and theft from when she stole food on a night that people felt less generous. “Hey, how’s your girl?”

“Misses me. Same as the last time you asked,” Toni leaned her head against the wall and looked up at the bottom-side of the bunk above her. She let out a long sigh, “I just wish my dumbass didn’t buy that ounce as one of her anniversary gifts.” 

“She a druggie?”

“Depends on what it is. Usually does the safe stuff. I know she did jingle jangle a few times and we used to smoke a lot but that’s it for her.”

“That’s not it for you?”

“I’ve done a few more things that I’d like to admit to her to be honest.”

Tricia nodded. She was usually respectful towards things that seemed to sadden a person. She didn’t care if you didn’t want to tell her, she figured it wasn’t her business and didn’t pry for information. 

“When’s Mercy coming to visit?”

Mercy was Tricia’s girlfriend who was released from prison a month prior. She promised to visit once she was settled in with her relatives but she hasn’t called since.

“Should be next weekend. She, uh, sent a letter. Look,” Tricia always got all giddy whenever anything about Mercy was mentioned. She pulled an envelope from the counter’s small, broken drawer and passed it to Toni. The Serpent carefully pulled it from the envelope and began reading. 

_Tricia,_

_Being free is fucking weird. I swear everything turned upside-down while I was in there. I’m living with my aunt in New York now but I’m going to take the train over to come see you this weekend. I just got a job at a supermarket, stocking shelves. It’s not much but I’m trying to turn my life around. I can’t wait until you get out of there and we can get a place together._

_Love,_  
_Mercy_

“Sweet, huh?” Tricia smiled as Toni handed her back the letter.

“Definitely Shakespeare-worthy,” Toni leaned back onto her pillows and shut her eyes. It’s better to sleep to pass the time.

“Hey, you’re gettin’ out soon, right?”

“Should be. I’m talking to the court in two weeks so they’ll see if I’ve been good here, which I have, and then I can go the fuck home.”

“Do you think you could get Mercy a bunch of flowers for me? Like as a surprise. I’ll find out her address and everything. Just so she doesn’t forget I’m still here.”

Toni looked over at Tricia with a smile. She swears they’re too young for this place. “Sure, Miller,” she closed her eyes again.


	2. Am I Dreaming?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some smut, some vomit, a little spice, and everything not so nice

_Toni was at a Serpent party in Jughead’s trailer. There were people shoulder to shoulder, skin to skin, and barely any room to breathe. She felt trapped but she wasn’t scared. The crowd of people pushed her towards a table in the kitchen. Jughead was leaning over and moving his head across the table. Then she was pushed even closer to him and saw the white powder being sucked into his nose._

_“Jones!”_

_No one said anything and the music was too loud. He passed her the rolled up dollar bill he had used to sniff the drug. She felt shaky and overpowered by adrenaline but she felt confident as she leaned down and began snorting the cocaine. It felt like icicles in her nose, little rocks that were scrapping at her skin, and a fire that was tickling her from the inside. Then everything rushed to her head as she pinched her nostrils closed and slammed her eyes shut. Her ears began ringing, ringing so hard it felt like they were bleeding. Then the music was gone and she turned around. The room had a yellow hue._

_“TT?”_

_Beautiful red hair and a cute face that was more addicting than any drug. Toni was caught. She felt guilty, more guilty than when she had to call Cheryl to tell her she’s been arrested._

_The Blossom looked betrayed and disappointed and it was all Toni’s fault. She had put them in this situation._

_“Cheryl, I can explain.”_

_But it was too late. The redhead had sped off out the door of FP Jones’ trailer. The door had slammed shut and shook the mobile home. Toni ran towards the door and whipped it open only to be stopped by a glass barrier between her and Cheryl. She felt like screaming but nothing came out when she opened her mouth._

_A single tear ran down a porcelain cheek as brown eyes had never looked so hollow._

“Tiny! Come on, get up.”

Toni felt a hand push at her shoulder. She groaned which prompted the hand to stop as she sat up. “What? There’s no way it’s lunchtime.”

Tricia’s hands were gripping the bars as she peered down at the bottom floor. Kid in a candy store. “We got newbies.”

Toni stood up and followed Tricia’s line of sight to a bunch of women of all different shapes and sizes carrying a mattress and a change of clothes. Some looked scared and others looked like they were going to do the scaring. The incoming prisoners always started off their first week in blue jumpsuits which made hazing week even worse for them. The line of women came to a halt as the bars slid closed behind the escorting guard. Hoots and hollers had already begun from the other cells. Some people were throwing toilet paper at them. 

Toni’s eyes examined each new prisoner one at a time. She went down the line all the way to the last prisoner at the end. She knew her. _Oh,_ she knew her. 

_Penny Peabody._

And she was staring right back at her. Her dead eyes had attached themselves to Toni’s horrified face and relished in it. A smirk fit for the devil had appeared on her crooked lips as she looked ahead. 

“ _Oh, shit._ ”

“What? You know one of ‘em?” Tricia went on the tips of her toes for a better view but to no avail.

Toni couldn’t feel anything. She felt like she was floating away but there were restraints on her ankles keeping her here. She needed to run and to hide. Everything shook in her body. She took a few steps back until she hit her bunk and fell down onto the inch-thick mattress.

Tricia looked at her with amusement still in her eyes, but once she saw the psychological condition her friend was in, she went to her aid. “Woah, you okay?”

The whole room was spinning. Toni felt like everything was rushing, her mind, her body. Like little ants were running all over her skin. 

She was going to throw up. It was sick that Penny Peabody had a kind of power like this over her body but she was so twisted that Toni didn’t feel ashamed over it. She went to the toilet and emptied her breakfast slop into the metal bowl. 

“Woah! Topaz!” Tricia ran to the side of the bowl and held the pink hair back. She rubbed her shoulder. “Alright, alright.”

“Penny,” she finally said. “She’s _here_.”

“Who?”

“Oh my god, she’s gonna kill me.”

“What did you do?” Tricia let go of her hair and leaned back by the toilet, grabbing her a bottle of water from their cooler.

“Rival gang. Part of the Ghoulies. She knows who I am and she’s gonna ruin these next two weeks for me.”

“Then all the Serpents are screwed.”

“If she finds out they’re a Serpent then yes. She knows my face. She knows my name.”

*

After seeing Toni, the Blossom was extremely needy. She felt a little knot in her stomach that needed to be untied so she went upstairs to her bedroom. Stripping herself of everything besides her underwear, she wrapped her favorite silk robe around her body and laid down in the center of the mattress. Since Toni was sentenced, Cheryl had been getting into the habit of teasing herself before her release which is what Toni would do if she was actually there. Cheryl does this often. She shuts her eyes, let’s her fingers go to work, and pretends that her lover is in the room with her.

She began by trailing her fingers lightly down her sides, slowly, just like TT would. Her fingers met with her waistband and she held them there for a second as she nodded. Their first few times together, Toni would ask if she felt okay, if this was okay. Cheryl said yes every single time and Toni would press a gentle kiss to her lips before her fingers slipped past the waistband to her sensitive bud of nerves while TT’s lips followed slowly behind. Cheryl traced the pad of her thumb where her lips would usually be and, as they went lower and lower, Cheryl’s mouth opened and, “Toni,” seemed to slip past on instinct. 

Her fingers began circling her clit as her other hand pushed down her underwear all the way to her knees then her legs took care of it. Cheryl always reminisces their first time together. Toni was so gentle and caring but such a tease at the same time. She wanted Cheryl to feel safe and comfortable but also wanted to hear her whine and beg for it. Not that Cheryl didn’t like the other, rougher, times they’ve had sex, but it feels only right that this time she remembers the first.

Her breath hitched as her left hand kneaded her breast and her fingers picked up speed in tight little circles. 

“God, TT,” she moaned into the quiet room. Her imagination was so vivid that she could basically feel the little puffs of air between her legs. It’s like Toni was actually there. 

If Toni was here, Cheryl thought, she would be saying something along the lines of: _you’re so beautiful, baby. I want to make you feel good. I swear I don’t deserve you, my love._

And Cheryl would always tell her _yes, yes she does deserve her._

The redhead’s fingers were picking up speed as her left hand left her breast and wandered down between her legs. Spreading her legs wider, Cheryl entered herself with one slim finger. She felt how wet she was and she knew Toni would have commented on it as she licked the Blossom’s arousal off of her tan finger. And she would have that smug smile on her face. Cheryl grinned at the thought.

Then her face wrinkled in pleasure as she slowly pulled out her finger and purposely pressed it against her tight, velvety walls. Her cheeks grew warm as she pushed her finger in again, slowly, and pulled out. She was adjusting herself to her own finger, something Toni would usually do if they weren’t in a rush and if Cheryl hadn’t been begging to be fucked. She added a digit and pushed through again feeling the tight strain on her pussy but then it felt good as she pushed down to the knuckle. “ _Toni, fuck..._ ”

She began pumping as her fingers circled her clit again. It felt good to have both motions going as she helped to untie the knot in her belly. She needed relief. After all of these weekends, ten minutes with Toni, she just could not go home without committing to this tradition. Maybe she could tell Toni next time she sees her. The pinkette may be interested in Cheryl Blossom touching herself to the thought of her.

Her breathing hitched as she felt a spike of pleasure shoot through her entire body as her finger tingled that familiar buzz. She was close.

The Blossom curled her fingers directly into her g-spot and let a low, long moan. She could imagine her TT’s smug smile against her clit and that only made the knot in her stomach grow. She was going to find her release soon and, when she does, she wants it to be the most out-of-body, eye-opening orgasm she has ever had by herself. She wanted to be pushed to tears at how good it felt and she wanted her muscles to ache from how hard she is going to fuck herself.

Her fingers began pumping into herself fast as the tight circles on her clit applied more pressure. She curled her fingers and bit her lip as she leaped ahead towards her climax. “Fuck, Toni...” She dragged out with a whine. She gasped as she repeatedly hit the spot she was craving. “ _Fucking_ fuck!”

Her back arched high off the bed as her fingers worked her down from her orgasm. She pulled her fingers out and didn’t move for a moment. What she just did couldn’t hold a torch to what Toni could do. She was just amazing at everything she set her beautiful mind to. Cheryl will forever envy her because of this. 

Lying in her post-orgasm haze, Cheryl heard her phone vibrate against the wooden table beside her bed. She turned her head and pouted as she would be broken out of the relaxing state she was currently in, Toni and her would just lay side by side until Cheryl was ready to move. They’d share encouraging words as they shared their gratitude vocally rather than physically.

_Veronica_ , read on the dim lighting of the phone. Cheryl reached her slightly-shaky hand over and brought the device to her ear.

“Hello, V, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Lunch date? I’m starving and Pop’s is exactly what I need right now.”

“Give me twenty minutes to leave and I’ll meet you there.”

“Yes!” Ronnie was excited that the redhead was actually going to come out with her. Since Toni’s sentence, she seemed isolated and way less social than she was expected to be. “Can’t wait.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how we liking it so far?


	3. A World of Pink Milkshakes and First Kisses

“Thank you,” the girls said in unison as Pop placed a plate of fries between them and their preferred milkshakes.

“ _So,_ ” Veronica dragged out as she reached for a french fry. “How’s our Alcatraz resident doing?”

Cheryl sighed. “Every time I visit, I can tell that she’s happy to see me, I see the smile on her face, I see that she’s responsive to what I have to say, but I can’t help thinking that she hates it.”

“Well, of course, she hates it. It’s prison.”

“Obviously, I know that. She’s stuck with a bunch of other criminals,” she exhaled through her nose. “It’s the loneliness I think. I totally forgot that she could feel lonely in a place filled with a bunch of people.”

“What do you mean?”

“Not to sound like a narcissist, but she misses me, V. Her and I are going through the same thing but she’s in much more dangerous circumstances. I feel like I’m losing her.”

“Cheryl,” Veronica reached over and held her hand. “Toni would _never_ leave you. There is no possible way you can lose her. She is always going to come back no matter how far you try and push her away. I’m pretty sure she thinks about you nonstop, she always did and she always will. And besides,” Veronica returned her hands to her chocolate milkshake, “she’s too whipped to see anything normally without relating it to you.”

Cheryl nodded but kept her eyes down. She hadn’t even eaten one of the fries yet, she didn’t feel an ounce of her appetite. All of these thoughts of Toni ran rapidly through her skull and ricocheted off the bone, ultimately giving her a headache. She was scared and tired of worrying, and she only had two weeks left until her TT would be let out, but it still felt like a lifetime. “What if she’s not the same as she was when she gets out?”

“You’ll still love her, Cheryl. The same as you did in high school when she was _Southside Scum_. I swear I’ve never seen a love more real than you two.”

Cheryl’s eyes lit up a little as she nodded and smiled. “You’re right, Veronica. I shouldn’t have doubted my love for Toni. I’m just being stupid.” She laughed but Veronica shook her head.

“You have every right to feel like this. Your girlfriend is in _prison,_ Cheryl, this is when you’re supposed to feel like this, okay? But you have to remember how she was before she was arrested and remember she will love you unconditionally. She will be the same when she gets out because she will be returning to her other half: you. And she will return home, to you, and she will revert back to her old ways with you. You can doubt anything you want without feeling guilty because that is what you’re feeling and there is nothing wrong with that. If you do feel guilty though, you should talk to me or to her about it. Nothing you are feeling is wrong, Cheryl.”

The redhead hooked her finger and brushed a tear below her eye. “You should be a writer,” she smiled and wiped another tear.

“Please, my writing was good enough to help me pass my classes. I don’t think it’s good enough to be published.”

“Maybe you could write love stories. You’ve had your fair share of experiences.”

“Maybe because I was able to watch you and Toni get together.” She tried to dodge the question but there was no way she could out run the Blossom.

“Oh, come on, you act like Archie was just a high school romance. You two were in love.”

“All it was was a high school romance. You think you’re in love until it’s over and it doesn’t hurt as much as you thought it would. It’s like falling out of focus. You see the ground a million miles away from you and you know its going to hurt but then you hit the ground and you realize it was only two feet.”

Cheryl thought about it in her own situation. If she were to lose Toni, her whole world would be a mess. She would have no one. Toni was her everything. Her absolute true love.

“ _But,_ ” Veronica began, “there is someone new on the horizon.”

“I knew you couldn’t stay out of the game for too long.” Cheryl smiled. “Do I know them?”

“I know for a fact you and _him_ are acquainted.” She smiled and raised her brow.

“Do tell.”

“You have to guess! It’s not fun if you don’t.”

“You’re insufferable.” The redhead rolled her eyes. “What does his name start with?”

Veronica took a breath before answering but was cut off by Cheryl’s phone ringing. The number came up and Cheryl knew it was the prison.

“I’m sorry, V, can I—“

“Don’t be.” Veronica smiled and waved for her to get out of the booth and answer it. Cheryl slid out of the ruby red seat and went outside into the cold.

“Hello?”

A female computer voice answered, “An inmate from the Leopold and Loeb Federal Detention Center is trying to contact you. Dial 1 and press Pound to continue.”

Cheryl did as the machine said then was met with silence. “Toni?”

“Hey, Cher,” her voice was raspy like she had been crying.

“You miss me already?” Cheryl laughed.

“I always do.” Toni sniffled. She had been crying but she was smiling now that she could hear her favorite girl’s voice on the other line.

“You okay, baby?” Cheryl’s posture tensed as her worrying for her TT increased with each passing second.

“I’m okay,” her voice cracked but she tried to hide it. “I’m just so happy to hear you, baby. What are you doing right now?”

“I’m out to lunch with Veronica. Apparently, she’s thinking about dating someone new.”

“Yeah?” She sniffled again and tried to recover. “Who?”

“She wants me to guess but she says I know him and she was about to give me his first initial but I wanted to take your call first. Why did you call? Not that I mind of course, but is there something wrong?”

Toni didn’t want Cheryl to worry more than she constantly was. She wasn’t going to tell her about Penny until it was absolutely necessary. “Of course not.” Just then, Penny appeared around the corner. A sick and twisted smile contorting her face as she laughed gently to herself. Toni’s heart dropped as she was no longer crying but fearing for her life. “Everything’s fine, Bombshell.”

“If you say so.”

“One minute remaining.” The robotic female voice echoed through both lines.

“Fucking Christ.” Cheryl rolled her eyes which Toni couldn’t see, but she knew all of Cheryl’s mannerisms by now.

Penny began walking towards the Serpent.

“I love you, Cheryl.”

“I... I love you too. We’re gonna wait the whole minute, right?” They always waited until their time was over.

“Sure, baby,” Toni watched the ghoulish blonde stalk towards her. “I just wanted to tell you that I love you. You know I can never say it enough.”

“I know, TT.” The redhead smiled. Veronica was right. She will love me unconditionally. “I know.”

Penny and Toni were now toe-to-toe and Toni felt the Grim Reaper breathing down her neck. Was that a sharpened toothbrush in Penny’s waistband or was she just imagining it?

“I love you. I’ll talk to you soon, baby.”

“Okay. I love—“

The phone beeped painfully into her ear signaling that the call had ended. Toni kept her eyes on Penny as she hung up the phone.

“Hiya, Pinky.” Penny smiled as she played with Toni’s curl between her two fingers. “I see you kept the color in. Question for ya, is this prison-grade dye or are you sneaking it in?”

“Ladies! Ladies! Break it up, huh?” Nicky Nichols, a sort of mentor to Toni, came in and pushed the back of her hands to the women’s chests to push them away. “I’m not one to break two ladies together when I see them chest to chest, but duty calls. Name’s Nichols.”

Penny’s cold eyes turned to Nicky with a deathly glare. “Peabody.”

“Great. Now we all know each other. You new here?”

“Came in this morning.”

Nicky slapped Penny’s shoulder and smiled big. “Welcome to the neighborhood! Come on, kid. Red wants to talk to ya.” Nicky pushed Toni down the opposite way towards the kitchen. She turned back to Penny. “Maybe I’ll stop by and ask if you got any sugar! If you’re into that.”

Nicky continued pushing Toni to the safety of Red’s kitchen. The Serpent was still scared but she felt better knowing she was with her family. Nicky finally stopped and turned Toni towards her. “Who the hell was that?”

“Penny Peabody. Rival gang member.”

Nicky ran a hand through her hair, “Shit, kid. Red’s gonna be pissed.”

“Pissed about what?” Just then, the Russian herself walked to the two women with her hands on her hips. Her eyes fell to Toni. “What did you do?”

“Some Southside bitch came in this morning.” Nicky explained to Toni who seemed scared into silence.

“I told you I didn’t want any of that gang shit in my fucking kitchen!”

“I know Red, I know,” Toni tried to soothe her nerves. “I told you as soon as I’m out of this place I’m asking FP to let me out of the gang. But Penny knows me. She knows my face, my name, everything.”

Red looked at the young girl and breathed through her nose. She didn’t know what to do to help her prison daughter. She can’t escape where she came from or the people she’s met and now she was stuck.

Toni felt her tears well up and, soon enough, she was breaking down again. Red embraced her and rubbed her back. “It’s going to be okay, my little lyubit’. We’ll work through this.”

“No!” Toni said and hugged her tighter. “If you go after her, she’ll hurt you too. I can’t have you in this, Red. This is my fault.”

“You’re family, Toni, and no one fucks with my family.” Her heavy Russian accent peaked through as Toni could see she was getting more passionate. Toni knew that Red would never comply with her desperate wishes so she had nothing else to say. Her chin wrinkled up as she fell into the Russian woman’s shoulder and cried.

“Reznikov!” One of the prison guards, known as Pornstache among the ladies, yelled. He had just entered the cafeteria and had his hand placed strategically on his baton. He began walking towards them as Toni took a few steps away from the older woman. “How many fuckin’ times do I have to tell you to keep your hands at your sides?”

They had an ongoing feud — Galina and Mendez. “One more time should be enough.”

He sneered at her and took another step so she could feel his morning breath right on her face. “ _Keep. Your. Fucking. Hands. At. Your. Fucking. Sides._ ”

Red sneered right back at him. He was no challenge for her. “Aye, aye, Captain.”

He looked at the other girls, quick to notice that the younger one had tear streaks. He began imitating a crying baby. “ _Wah! Wah!_ ” He stepped away from Red and began pouting in Toni’s face. “Why the fuck are you cryin’? You’re in prison! You don’t get to cry!”

Toni quickly wiped her face. She had always obeyed the orders she was given, hence why she was such a renowned Serpent.

Mendez lowered his face to hers and put his hand on her cheek. She tried to back away because she was feeling uncomfortable. She didn’t want him to touch her but it was too late. He gently caressed her cheek. “Missed a spot,” he whispered.

Backing away, the corrupt officer turned his back to them and walked out of the cafeteria.

“Get a move on, ladies! Don’t want any of you getting a shot.”

“Fucking prick,” Red said rather forcefully under her breath.

Nicky put her arm around Toni again, “You’ll be okay, kid. We’ll protect you even if that means getting targeted by some bitch in a jumpsuit. You’re family and we’ve all been in worse situations. That’s why we’re stuck in this place.”

“I love you guys.”

“We love you too.” Nicky punched Toni’s arm as Red kissed her still tear-streaked cheek.

“Okay, come on, you can help me chop up the potatoes. We have a lot of work to do in this kitchen!” Red walked back to her station in her kitchen as Toni laughed and followed her. Nicky went to find Lorna.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> struggling how to write the next part of the story, but, mind you, I am like ten chapters in so you guys have no idea what I'm talking about.
> 
> PLUS why is this story FLOPPING?? it's my favorite that i have written in a minute


	4. Shut Up and Eat

“That was weird.” Cheryl said as she sat back down in the booth across from Veronica.

“Everything okay?”

“I don’t know. She kept telling me she loved me and then the phone cut off. I just— I just _wish_ I had more time with her before we had to hang up.”

Veronica reached for her hand. “Just a couple more weeks, hun, and your girl will be back in your arms.”

“It feels like a century.”

“Quit being so dramatic, Blossom,” they laughed, “you’ve waited a whole year. You can go a little bit more.”

“I’m supposed to be dramatic, V. It’s my trademark.”

“Shut up and eat your fries.”

*

“Shut up and eat your slop,” Nicky pointed her plastic fork at Toni.

“What even is this?” She lifted it with her fork but it didn’t connect with the prongs and slipped down the side. It made a weird smacking sound against the plastic tray.

“All I know is that it isn’t Red’s. No, sir.” Lorna shook her head and pursed her lips.

As if on queue, the redheaded woman appeared at the end of the table. “I did not make the food.”

“We know, ma. It’s some kinda prison-grade loaf they got us bankin’ on. Hey, what happened to all that stuff you had us choppin’ up earlier?”

“Mendez pushed it to the floor after you left. Bastard thought it would be funny to let you girls starve.” She paused and reached into her pocket. “Here. I snuck you girls something actually edible.” She pulled out plastic yogurt cups. She gave every one of them a little container of yogurt and they all expressed their gratitude.

“Thanks, ma,” Nicky smiled and peeled it open.

“How are you doing, honey?” Red asked Toni. All eyes turned to her.

“I still feel pretty nauseous and paranoid. I’d feel a lot better knowing where she is.”

“I can keep tabs on her,” Piper chimes in. “Yeah! I can totally do that. When Alex would do runs, I’d lookout for her sometimes.”

“No, I let you _pretend_ you’d lookout for me,” Alex smiled, “There’s a reason we’re in prison.”

“That’s really nice of you to offer, Piper, but it’s shit like this that gets you into really fucked up situations. Try to participate less like a PTA parent and more like a gym teacher. It’s prison, all you have to do is show up and play the game." Nicky basically swallowed her cup of yogurt after finishing her rant.

“Thank you, Pipes, but I gotta figure this out myself. If I get any of you involved, you become a target too and that is the last thing I want. Believe me.” Toni half-smiled but it soon faded as she watched the spawn of Satan walk in.

She looked around the room in search of a seat or maybe a fellow Ghoulie. She set her sights on Toni and smirked. Toni could feel her very soul quiver with anticipation. Nicky was watching.

She leaned over, “Never go alone,” she whispered as Penny entered the lunch line. Toni just nodded her head as she kept the blonde woman in her peripheral vision. Toni had already been planning to sleep with one eye open but she knew that she most likely wouldn’t be sleeping at all tonight. The poor girl couldn’t take any chances.

*

Cheryl stepped out of her vintage red car and walked into the visitation wing of the penitentiary. It had been a day without a call from her TT and a week without seeing her so, naturally, her eyes were craving the pink-haired girl. She watched as all the other parents entered the doors and went through the metal detector and she let them go in front of her because Cheryl would never want to delay the love of a parent to their child. She feels that Penelope had basically put her in the same situation but she was enduring her own mother’s punishments. These parents were disappointed but they still loved their child and even if it was a few seconds, Cheryl never wanted it to be delayed.

She stepped through the detector hearing the irritating beep above her head as the light flashed green, and retrieved her belongings from the conveyor belt.

She was basically jogging into the room and sitting at their usual spot. Her long, pointy fingernails clicked on the counter in front of her as she watched desperately for the metal door to open and Toni to enter. The door swung open and seven inmates were in line waiting for their officer to direct them. They walked in formation with handcuffs restricting their movements. Families gasped as they saw their distraught loved ones come into the room looking like hell. Clearly, it had been a bad week in prison.

One by one, the prisoners were released from their confines and stood waiting for the officer to tell them they could sit and speak to their visitors. This is made sure that they all have an equal time of ten minutes. Toni turned her head to look at Cheryl as the metal loosened around her wrists. She smiled but it was a sad smile that Cheryl was bound to ask about.

Toni sat down with the other inmates and picked up the phone.

“Hi, baby,” Toni groaned into the phone. She was usually sleepy on Saturdays because visiting time was earlier in the day. It is only later on Sundays because of the time allowed at the chapel.

“Morning, sleepy,” Cheryl watched her with adoration. “I always forget how cute you look when you first wake up.”

“Yeah, I bet I look so good right now,” she said sarcastically, making Cheryl laugh, “You look like you slept for eight hours, had a whole-ass breakfast, went for a jog, showered, and picked out your best outfit just to see me for ten short minutes.”

“How do you still remember my morning routine?”

“It’s what I think about when I wake up. Like where you would be at that point. My guess is when I wake up, you’re out jogging.”

“That’s so crazy that that’s what you think about,” Cheryl smiled.

“Well, I mean, I do have to change some stuff around in what your routine usually consists of. Like,” she leaned closer to the glass and whispered, “if I was out of here, we wouldn’t be out of bed until at least nine.”

“You think about that stuff too?”

Toni bit her lip and nodded.

Cheryl’s eyes were growing darker. “So do I. Every time I leave visitation I go home and lay in bed and...” Cheryl’s tongue rested between her teeth as she quirked her head, “I don’t think I should say the rest considering we’re in public.”

“Oh, come on! Please? Cher, baby, please say it.”

“Are you begging, Topaz?”

“Are you really going to withhold something like this from me, Blossom? I’m just a poor soul,” she placed her hand on the glass and pouted, “trapped behind this glass.”

Their eyes met and Cheryl rolled her eyes. “I know, TT.”

“Aw, come on, did I ruin it?”

Cheryl was silent for a moment, knowing that she was wasting whatever they had left of their ten minutes. She was thinking about the sad look Toni had before she sat down and began talking to her girlfriend. She was thinking about the conversation she had with her over the phone on that prior Sunday. Why had she hung up before their allotted time had come to an end? Why had she sounded like she’d been crying over the phone? What had been bothering her TT?

“Why did you let the phone hang up on Sunday?”

“What?”

“The phone, TT. I was out with Veronica and you called so I answered and it sounded like you were crying but you told me you were okay.” Cheryl hadn’t been looking at Toni while she was talking out of fear she’d back out of the conversation and fall victim to her eyes. She nibbled on her lip before asking, “Did you lie to me?”

Toni clenched her jaw as Cheryl brought her eyes back up to her. She didn’t want to lie to her but she definitely didn’t want her to get involved or even more worried than she constantly is. “No, of course not—“

“There you go again. Why the hesitation?”

“I didn’t hesitate, I was just trying to remember.”

“Toni...”

Cheryl has a certain tone she uses that Toni just can’t lie to. Topaz swallowed and clenched her jaw again. She looked into Cheryl’s eyes and breathed out. “Cher, look, I don’t want you to worry, okay? You already worry enough and I hate that I’m the cause of that. I don’t want to be a burden on your mental health.”

“TT, you could never be a burden.”

“But I am, Cher. Don’t you see that?” Toni felt tears spring at her eyes. “You have to get in your car every weekend to come see _me_ because _I_ fucked up.”

“But I _love_ seeing you. That’s why I come every weekend. Ship’s fever couldn’t keep me away. I think about you every day, all day, because I love you.”

Toni swallowed. “I can be out there, with you, every day if I hadn’t been so stupid.”

Cheryl put her hand on the glass. “You weren’t stupid, Toni. You just made one mistake. Mistakes are allowed.”

“You don’t think it’s a hassle to come all this way just to see me?”

“Love is never a burden, TT. Absolutely nothing will keep me away from you,” she caressed the glass with her thumb, “except for maybe this window.”

Toni laughed and sniffled to keep her tears at bay.

“Now tell me what’s bothering you.”

Toni licked her chapped lips and looked into her eyes. They were still that warm chocolate brown that never feigned from making her whole body melt. “There’s a lot, Cher.”

“Well, start with one.”

Toni did not want to mention Penny right away. She could start with something else and maybe lift the weight off her shoulders a little. “The weed they caught me with,” she shook her head, “I did more than just that.”

“What? They found you with more than just that?”

“No... no,” Toni shook her head, “I told you that all I did was smoke and that’s all you really knew about. I did more than just that, Cheryl.”

“Well,” she seemed a bit shocked but not enough to be angry, “what else?”

“Cocaine, LSD, Jingle Jangle, Fizzle Rocks.” Toni sounded and looked more disappointed in herself than Cheryl did.

“How did you get it?”

“Jughead. You know how he always has parties in his trailer. He supplied and I was just always... _there_.”

Cheryl made a mental note. “Were you addicted to anything?”

“Yes. I did a lot of coke. I didn’t want to start fueling my addiction but when push came to shove, I always gave in.”

“So he pressured you.”

Toni sniffled. “In a way, yes, but it was my decision and I could have easily fought against it.”

Cheryl nodded silently. She began thinking about all of the hell she was about to bring down on the Jones boy.

“Are you mad?”

“God, Toni, no. Not at you at least. Mistakes happen. I don’t blame you for doing things like that. Even if it was behind my back. I blame Fuckhead Jones.”

“Please don’t. He’s—“

“An _enabler_ ,” Cheryl finished for her.

“One minute, everybody! One minute,” the officer yelled behind Toni. She jumped at his voice.

They were both quiet. A smile broke out on Toni’s face. “You still love me?”

A smile reflected onto Cheryl’s face, “Yes, dumbass.”

“I won’t do it again. I swear.”

“Good. I can’t lose you, TT. I don’t know what I’d do if I did.”

“You won’t.” They placed their hands against the glass. The surface was cold. “One more week, baby.”

“The longest week of my life,” Cheryl smiled sympathetically.

“Mine too.”

“Hang up! You’re goin’ back to the bull pen!”

“I love you. God, I love you so much.” Toni breathed into the receiver.

“I love you too, Toni. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

Toni nodded and they both hung up, kissing their hands and placing it on the glass.

*

Cheryl knocked for what felt like the fiftieth time. “Open up you _fucking_ roach!”

She was hitting the door so hard that it was close to falling off it’s hinges and collapsing into the trailer.

Finally, Jughead opened the door. He was rubbing his eyes as he yawned. Looks like Cheryl had woken him up.

“What?”

She shoved him into the wall behind him.

“What _the hell, Cheryl?!_ ”

“You know damn well what this is about!”

“I actually don’t so if you wanna use your _fucking_ words, that’d be great.”

She walked further into the trailer and Jughead shut the door.

“What do you want?”

“You’re a fucking prick, you know that?”

“What’s the reason today?” He sat down in one if the chairs in the kitchen rubbing his head. Cheryl stood over him.

“Your parties! The drugs! The drugs that _my TT_ was being pressured to do!”

“No one pressured anyone into doing anything they didn’t wanna do. If Toni did any drugs, which I’m not saying she did, then she chose it for herself. I was just a bystander.”

“That’s not what she told me.”

“And you’d believe her?” Jughead laughed, “Not to doubt your love for each other but, of all people, you decide to trust the criminal? _Really, Blossom?_ ”

“Oh, you are on thin ice, Jones," she laughed.

“And you know what that’s like.”

He was talking about her suicide attempt two years ago. Cheryl felt tears sting at her eyes but she would not show weakness in a time like this.

“Don’t _fucking—_ “

“Don’t _what?_ Bring up things that you don’t wanna hear? Just like how I watched Toni snuffed three lines of coke within an hour and then ask me to join her on the fourth? Which I did, by the way, so if she’s telling you lies about how I forced her to do it then maybe you should read more into the situation than letting your unconditional love drive you to believe her empty truth. She's a druggie, get over it.”

Cheryl was speechless. She believed Toni. She knows she does so why was this hobo getting so defensive? What was the point in manipulating the master manipulator?

“You think you’re clever? Do you really think I wouldn’t believe her even after your detoured attempts to get me to shut up, turn around, and turn my back on my girlfriend? I believe her, not some dumbass druggie in a cut-up beanie and a leather jacket.”

“Get _the fuck_ out of my trailer.”

“Like I’ll actually do that,” she laughed.

That’s when Jughead stood up with that psychotic look in his eyes. He reached into his pocket and clicked his switchblade, pulling it out and pointing it at Cheryl.

“Get the hell out of my trailer or I’ll kill you, Cheryl.”

“You don’t scare me, Jones,” Cheryl reached down to her boot and pulled out an even bigger knife. “You think you have the upper hand with that little thing? I didn’t come to play. I came to talk and if that means I have to use this then so be it.”

He clenched his jaw but held down his fury. He really couldn’t get an assault charge put on him. The drug charges would be enough to put him away for a long time. He put away his switchblade and Cheryl lowered hers but did not sheathe it.

“What do you want from me? I can’t go back in time and take away the drugs, Cheryl.”

“I want you to promise me you will _never_ invite her to another junkie party of yours again and _never_ sell her any drugs of the sort. I don’t care if she asks, I don’t care if she _begs, do not_ give her anything. I know you’ll stick to your word and I know your father would kill you if he found out about any of this. So I believe it would be in your best interest to totally leave her alone.”

He exhaled through his nose and shuffled his feet. Toni wasn’t just his client, she was his friend and fellow gang member. He didn’t want to lose her. “Fine. No more.”

“Good,” Cheryl would normally shake his hand after something like this but she wanted to stay cautious and away from his switchblade. She doesn’t think he would attack her but he’s a Jones and they’re unpredictable, “I believe we have a deal.”

“Whatever.”

With that, Cheryl was out of his trailer. She knew she made a promise to her girlfriend to not blame Jughead but she couldn’t help herself especially when he had been so crude to her in the past. Even if she did tell Toni that she went to Jughead’s trailer she doesn’t think she would be too shocked. It is in Cheryl’s nature to do something dramatic like that.


	5. Danger Surrounds Us, Babe

“Yo, Topaz,” Tricia jogged up to the pink-haired Serpent. They were in the yard in the freezing cold. Toni was wearing a gray, prison-issued beanie, a gray under shirt, and a beige uniform. She was looking pretty bland and boring these days, but she knew color would come into her life as soon as she was released. And not just any ordinary color of the trees or the snow or the different clothes, but _her_ color would come back. Her Cheryl.

“‘Sup, Miller,” Toni nodded at the girl.

“Overheard Penny’s gonna plant some shit in your bunk. I got Nicky and some of Red’s girls watchin’ the place ‘til we come back.”

“I fucking knew she was going to,” Toni shook her head, “she’s trying to keep me here and for what, I don’t know.” Toni felt fire in her chest as she tried to keep her emotions control. Normally, she would go to an officer about this but Penny was new, on good behavior (so she’s heard), probably has the guards on financial persuasion, has Ghoulies to back her up, she’s white and Toni’s not a snitch. Regardless if this was going to affect her and Cheryl’s life, she had to keep quiet.

The girls heard a whistle in the distance and saw a guard wave his hand to let them know their hour was up.

“Thank fuck, I can’t feel my hands.”

Her, Tricia, and about three dozen other prisoners filed into a line and made their way back into the cement building. It was still cold but easier to withstand without the bristling wind.

“I gotta call, Cher, let her know what’s up,” and then it dawned on her. She hadn’t told Cheryl about Penny. “Wait, fuck.”

“What?” Tricia asked as she rubbed her arms for an ounce of warmth. They instinctively walked toward the kitchen, as they always had, to see Red and to eat dinner.

“I didn’t tell her about Penny. I wasn’t going to because I don’t want her to worry.”

Tricia half-smiled as a sympathetic gesture. “I’m not great with the whole communication shit, mostly ‘cause I haven’t heard from Mercy since her letter, but you gotta be honest with shit like this. What if somethin’ happens, ya know? It’s better she knows why than somethin’ happening and she’s left without any answers.”

Toni thought it over. Tricia was right and Toni was feeling guilty since Penny had been registered in the system. It was weighing on her, among other things, and she could no longer handle the pain. “Alright, fine, but it can’t be over the phone. Something big like this has to be in person.”

“She comin’ tomorrow?”

“Always does.”

*

Cheryl went to bed late last night. She stayed up into the early morning until she could no longer keep her eyes open. She was angry at Jughead Jones and part of her wanted Toni to call her although she knew it to be impossible because her curfew is at nine and lights out were at ten.

She rolled around in her bed all night, as she did almost every night, and finally fell asleep at three in the morning. Her alarm had been set to wake up and go to the prison in the morning.

Surprisingly, she had woken up with three hours of sleep and went through her morning routine: breakfast, jog, shower, then pick out her best outfit for Toni. She never had to think about what she was going to do on the weekend, her body would just move her to certain places while her head was in another.

All of a sudden she had sort of woken up and she was parked in front of the prison, her hand already pulling the keys out of the ignition like a robot. She put a little pep into her step as she entered the prison, went through the metal detector, and took her seat at their usual stall. A few minutes passed and the metal door opened to a police officer. She watched her beautiful, little Toni sit down and pick up the phone. She looked restless as the bags under her eyes were more prominent due to the fact that makeup was considered contraband.

“Morning, cutie,” Cheryl smiled.

“Hey, babe,” her voice was woven with guilt but she disguised with the raspiness of her morning voice.

Cheryl was not convinced. “Oh, no, that’s your guilty voice. What did you do?” She playfully inquired.

“I didn’t do anything.”

Still unconvinced, Cheryl pressed, “Did something happen, babe?”

Toni was close to tears now. She was frustrated with the situation at hand but, more importantly, herself. Had she been honest with her in the beginning this would not be happening. Had her nerves been able to bear, she would have been honest with her girl and avoided this conversation. “Cher, I have to tell you something.”

Cheryl’s face changed then. She placed her hand against the glass. “What is it, TT? Did you... did you get more time?”

“No,” she shook her head but then what Tricia had told her came flooding back to her, “well not yet. There is a possibility but I’ve been on good behavior. It’s not me, it’s—“

Tears fell from her cheeks then and she bowed her head to hide herself from breaking down. “What is it?” Cheryl asked with the softest voice Toni has ever heard.

“New prisoners came in a couple weeks ago. It’s nothing out of the ordinary, we get new people all the time. Me and Tricia,” Toni was having trouble telling the story. She knew she had to tell her and stalling was doing no good but it was in her nature when she was feeling anxious, “you remember Tricia right?”

Cheryl nodded. She nodded her pretty head. Toni loved Cheryl, she truly truly did. Every part of her. Makeup or no makeup, although her face seemed to be painted on right now. She loved when she could easily tell someone off with her expert vocabulary and turn to Toni and become a soft puddle of fluff.

It hit Toni then.

She was ruining this girl’s life. If she had been a better partner, a better person, then they wouldn’t be in this mess.

“I was, um,” Toni continued and pinched the bridge of her nose as more tears slid against the pad of her thumb. “I was watching them walk in and at the end of the line was—“ She broke down again. “Fuck!”

“Toni, please tell me. I forgive you for not telling me before—“

“But you won’t.”

“I will. I promise. There is nothing I want more than you to be honest with me and you were honest that you kept this from me until this point but please tell me now. I want to talk you through it. I want to be there for you. Take me up in your mind with you.”

_Oh, how she loved her._

“At the end of the line was... _Penny_.”

Cheryl’s blood boiled at the name. She hated Penny not so much that she has done anything to Cheryl, but because she mentally, and once physically, tortured Toni. Her conniving smile that suggests all evil things is always perfectly quirked like she was the devil. And now, that she is stuck in the same place as Toni made it even worse. She was fuming. Her red hair was fitting.

“ _Pen—_ “

A shot went off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> forgive me for the short-ish chapter


	6. Welcome Home Sign

A single shot rang and echoed against the concrete. Cheryl was frozen in her seat watching Toni’s head whip around to the security door. She then heard the guards yelling and pulling their guns out, ordering all of the prisoners to get onto the floor.

“ _On your stomachs right fucking now!_ ”

Toni pushed her seat back and climbed onto the floor. She put her hands over her head, which she learned was protocol on her first day, and silently prayed to herself.

“I need all of you to get out now!” A police officer behind Cheryl had said. His gun was unholstered as well. People began filing out, some with tears in their eyes, others with blank expressions on their faces, but all of them were shaking no doubt.

“Miss, I need you to leave,” the police officer put his hand on her shoulder.

“Toni!” she screamed.

Sirens went off loud and terrifying. It felt like the world was ending.

“I love you.”

“Miss!” The officer yelled into her ear. She finally stood up and walked out without looking where she was going. She only looked in Toni’s direction.

Cheryl walked out into the parking lot and her body refused to feel the cold. The rest of the visiting families had formed a circle in the parking lot of which Cheryl wanted no part of. Several guards jogged over.

“I need everyone to leave! We are going into lockdown and I cannot have anyone on the grounds.”

Cheryl passed by the group on the way to her car. She overheard one of the mothers asking, “how the hell are we supposed to go home? My daughter is in there.”

The officer had eased her into her car and everyone was directed out of the prison lot. With how shaken up all of the drivers were, someone was bound to get into an accident. Cheryl watched the SWAT team pull into the prison and she doesn’t remember any department of corrections ever being so fast. Even when she was trying to get confirmation for visitation it took them three weeks.

Her heart was pounding, she could hear it, but she didn’t feel anything. As she drove past one of the guards, she rolled down her window.

“Ma’am, you need to leave.”

“Penny Peabody. She’s an inmate here and she just came in. I’ve known her to be trouble before she came in. I think she started this.”

“You need to leave.”

“Listen to me! Penny Peabody! Call it in!”

The officer unstrapped his firearm on his hip to threaten her. “Miss, I need you to leave or I can report you for suspicion.”

Cheryl rolled up her window and drove out of the lot behind the grieving families. She felt dizzy but she kept on and unconsciously stopped at the sign for Sunnyside Trailer Park. In her dizzying state, she took a deep breath before continuing on to the Whyte Wyrm.

Meanwhile, back at the prison, the guard had reported Penny a few moments after Cheryl passed the gates, “Anybody got eyes on Peabody?”

“Not in visitation,” the guard next to Toni’s head reported.

“We need an ambulance,” a guard shouted over the radio. “Mendez is down. Shot in the leg. Applying pressure but we need a medic.”

“Who fired?”

“We haven’t checked the security cameras yet— _ah! Let go of me!_ ”

The radio cut out and the officer beside Toni began calling for him. Eventually he gave up and ran his fingers through his hair.

For the current situation, Toni was calm. She’s heard gunshots before, been in danger before, even had Penny come after her before. This was no different besides their current setting. What scared her the most was how this was going to turn out. Would she be given more time? Would she be sent to maximum security down the hill? How long will the riot last?

Would she be shot and killed? No... she has to come home. She has to come home to Cheryl.

There were three loud knocks on the door and an angry, “Open up!”

It wasn’t Penny.

The officer nearest to the door held his gun in his hand but he was shaking from fear. Typical that the guards are scared of the inmates, they never seemed to be properly trained anyway.

More banging on the door.

The officer took a deep breath before opening the door, which Toni thought was a dumb decision, and four prisoners pushed the door open fully and kneed the officer in the groin. He fell to the ground and the girl’s grabbed a hold of the gun.

"Get up! It's a riot," one of the girls explained as if they had no idea.

"What's going on out there? Who shot?" Another had asked.

"I don't know but we're taking the guards as hostages in the viewing room."

Everyone in the visitation area rose to their feet, "For what?"

"To make sure we keep this place in check. We aren't hurting them, just making sure no one else gets hurt."

"By letting a bunch of armed criminals take over the place? Does that spell _safe_ to you?" Toni asked. She couldn't believe the thought process but, then again, she could only blame the school system for this.

The armed prisoner shrugged, "Basically, yeah."

The prisoners followed the armed one out. Toni was trying to think of what the one with the gun was in for and she remembered it was something for money. Fraud, maybe? She was unsure but she knew she hadn't been involved with any violent crimes so she trusted her with the gun for the time being.

As they walked through one of the hallways, that was now trashed with loose papers, food, and some shirts that had been taken off of someone, she heard a familiar voice call her name.

"Toni! God, I've been looking everywhere for you!" Nicky hugged her as she watched Lorna jog up to them. "How are ya? You okay?" Her buggy eyes scanned her face for any marks, "Where have ya been all this time?"

"Visitation. Cheryl and I were talking when the gun fired. She was evacuated and then some people came in and took the guard hostage. Where's Tricia and Red?"

"They're holding down the medicine closet. We're lookin' for the keys to get inside. It'll be a lot safer once we get in there. Go look in Healy's office. I'm gonna go to Caputo with Lorna. Meet with Red when you're done looking and, here," Nicky took a few steps towards Toni and placed a shiv in her waistband. "I don't want it to come down to this but just in case. Stay safe, kid," Nicky kissed her forehead and took off running down the hall.

Toni went into Healy's office and straight to the desk. She doubted he had the keys but it was worth a shot. Pushing the chair away, she knelt to check the bottom drawers first. Scrambling her shaky hands through the first one drawer, she found only files and stacks of papers. She saw her own name in there and fingered through the files to reach her own. If she were to find a phone, she would want to know Cheryl's number and she was listed as her emergency contact. She could never remember those numbers. Opening the second drawer, she found bags of candy which, honestly, she may need for later if they don't get rescued soon.

A singsong voice in the hallway echoed into the office.

" _Toni... come out, come out wherever you are..._ "

Penny Peabody was walking down the hallway slapping something in her hand. Possibly a baton she stole from a guard's utility belt. She was walking slow and the footsteps were quiet. She wasn't searching for her, she was stalking.

Toni scurried under the desk, putting the manila folder against her back to hide a possible shadow. She put her hand over her mouth and held her breath. Hopefully the dirty blonde would pass without an inkling of Toni's whereabouts. She wasn't religious, but she prayed for Penny to keep walking and avoid entering the room.

The light footsteps stopped at the door and Toni could tell due to the scuff Penny had made on the concrete floor. She felt tears spring at her eyes as her heart increased but she couldn't breathe too loud.

Penny hummed, examining the office. She hit the doorframe with her baton twice before moving down the corridor. When Toni was sure she passed, she crept out from under the wooden desk. Looking into the hallway, she only saw other prisoners yelling and screaming down the hall while they threw toilet rolls around like streamers. She checked the rest of the drawers and found a set of keys but she wasn't sure if any of them worked.

In the final drawer, she found a cellphone, an out-dated flip phone with half a charge. She pocketed it and took off running towards the medicine closet.

*

Cheryl was shaking in her bed as she watched the news. There were several helicopters flying over the prison to see if they could get an inside view of its conditions. Cheryl was so shocked that she couldn't even bring herself to cry. There was no way Toni was getting out in a week. She may even get an extended sentence.

The camera cut to the front of the building, a building Cheryl had walked into many times. There were female prisoners with signs at the window saying **_I didn't do it_**. Cheryl was wondering where Toni was. If she was still in the visitation center or if she had been taken back by other rioters or if she was _still alive..._

Her eyes drifted off to the **Welcome Home** banner she had customized for the party planned when Toni was freed. It was folded in a box beside her bed with other decorations.

The vibration of her phone took her away from her thoughts. The plastic phone buzzing against her fine nightstand had always been an irritating sound. It was Veronica's name on the screen and Cheryl didn't realize how dark it had gotten outside until her phone lit up. It was late and Cheryl had been in front of the TV for ten hours.

"Hello," she rasped.

"Cheryl? Hey, how are you?"

"Not good."

Veronica paused, "Do you want me to come over tonight? So you're not alone?"

Cheryl thought it over, "No. I'm just going to get a drink at the Wyrm."

"Well, okay. Just let me know. Me and Josie are just a call away and we'll be there the second you need us."

"Thanks, V."

"Of course. Text me when you get home from the bar."

"Will do."

They hung up and Cheryl moved her aching legs off the bed. She finally brought herself to shut off the news and go downstairs to retrieve her keys. Sighing, she walked out to her convertible that no longer brought her joy when it was just her across the wheel. Usually Toni would drive her because she loved driving Cheryl's vintage cherry red.

She zoned out for the majority of the ride and finally woke up when she turned off her headlights in the Whyte Wyrm's parking lot. She stepped inside and immediately noticed that Sweet Pea, Fangs, and a ton other Serpents were huddled at the bar watching the riot. She couldn't escape this as much as she tried.

She took a seat in the worn padding of the bar stool. It squeaked under the new weight and settled. The bartender came right up to her and set a small square napkin to her right. "What're you drinkin'?"

If Toni was there, she would have greeted her in a more flirtatious way as if they were strangers and Cheryl had always enjoyed that type of role play, especially when that role play took her to the semi-clean storage room for a quickie.

"Whiskey on the rocks," Toni's favorite drink. Cheryl's favorite was a gin n' tonic but this seemed fitting. The bartender nodded and placed her order on the square napkin a few seconds later. "Thank you."

"Oh, hey, Cheryl," Sweet Pea came up to her gently. "How are you holdin' up?"

She shrugged but gave no verbal answer.

"Yeah, I feel the same way. Everyone in here does," he took a seat next to her and coddled his half-empty beer to his chest.

To their right, a group of wild Serpents were joking and laughing, causing quite a bit of ruckus for the mourning bar.

"Fuckin' criminals in there just havin' a bit of fun. What the fuck is the big deal? It's about time they let loose," Tall Boy had laughed along with the younger Serpents surrounding him.

"Don't let them get to you, Red," Sweet Pea almost whispered. "They've been sayin' shit all night."

Cheryl nodded and looked down at the bronze liquid that was staring right back at her. She took a big gulp and swallowed it down. It burnt her throat but felt so good to actually feel something. It settled in her stomach and created a warmth that spread throughout her whole body.

The group of Serpents erupted again and it seemed that Jughead was the cause of it this time.

"And they're all gonna get extra time too. Fuckin' dumbasses got caught not once, but twice!"

Tall Boy laughed beside him and slapped his back in praise. Jughead jolted forward at the impact but kept laughing.

Cheryl huffed and downed her second whiskey. Sweet Pea sat in silence beside her as the bartender brought over another round for them.

"And to think of it, one of us in there for an ounce of pot. A fuckin' ounce!" He couldn't even get through the rest of his sentence without laughing.

Cheryl leaned on her hand and tried to block out Jughead the best she could but it was hard with how loud he was being and how it had been about her girlfriend.

The black-haired annoyance spoke again, "She was always a fuckin' slut at the parties too. Get one line of coke in her and she'll be grinding on you like it was the the last night of her life," the crowd had quieted down when they noticed Cheryl was sitting only a few feet away. "You think she'll die in the riot or fuck some chick in there to save her life?"

That was the last straw for Cheryl.

She stood up and walked menacingly to Jughead with her fists as her side. Sweet Pea tried to stop her but she was too driven in anger to show any sign of backing down. She gave Jughead no verbal warning of what was about to come to him.

A fine, pedicured hand came across his face and the sound of skin on skin was louder than the noise they had caused before. Everyone was quiet in the room and the only sound left was the reporter on the TV.

Jughead stumbled backward and held his face. "What _the fuck, Cheryl!_ "

"Like you hadn't been expecting that, you fucking cretin."

"What's your deal, Blossom?" His eye twitched as he took a step towards her, "Are you pissed that the Serpent slut is stuck in prison or that I just brought it up for you to finally realize?"

"You're a piece of shit, Jones. I can't believe you even dare call yourself a Serpent. What's one of the rules again? Never turn your back on a Serpent? Kind of ironic because all you do is talk shit about your own. Everything that comes out of your mouth is complete bullshit and the only reason you're still in this gang is because your father runs it. You're blood but Toni is legacy and you're the reason she's in that place," Cheryl crossed her arms and shook her head. "It should have been you."

Jughead lunged at her but Tallboy and Birdy held him back. Cheryl didn't even flinch. Sweet Pea appeared at her side with his arms crossed.

"Chill out, Jones. You know she's right."

He stared at her for a moment more. "Get the fuck off me," he batted Tallboy and Birdy's hands away. "I need a drink."

He walked away to the bar and kept quiet for the remainder of the night. The once rowdy group of Serpents dispersed into separate sections of the Wyrm to keep themselves busy and out of Cheryl's wingspan.

She turned her head back to the small TV over the bar. Her phone began buzzing in her back pocket. When she looked at the screen, it was a number that hadn't been saved to her contacts. She thought it was a telemarketer at first but answered it anyway due to her distracted state. She truly wasn't herself these past few hours.

"Hello?" She sighed into the phone.

" _Baby?_ "

"Toni?"

"Hey, gorgeous," she was smiling over the phone.

" _What- how did- how_ are you calling me right now?"

"Snagged a phone when I got out of visitation. Don't worry, I'm safe and behind locked doors."

"What happened?" Her voice was shaken both from relief but her slight fear of the entire riot. Toni was locked in a prison where criminals, that have committed murder, rape, and torture, were running wild with guns at their disposal.

"No one is too clear on the details but somethin' must have went down when you were here. I don't know if it was a guard or someone else that shot off the gun. Some people say Penny but I saw her before and she had a baton with her. Knowing how Penny works, she would've kept the gun with her."

"Maybe she got rid of it? She's evil but she's smart too. She could have wiped her fingerprints and given it to someone else or hid it."

"That's true too. You don't have to worry about her finding me. I'm hiding in the medicine closet and I'm staying away from the door. It's locked too."

"I'm going to worry regardless if you tell me not to," she softly smiled which only Sweet Pea and Fangs saw. They looked at each other and their questions were being raised as Cheryl's voice softened and evened out over the phone. They aren't the smartest pair in the world but there is only one person that Cheryl Blossom goes soft for. "Who are you with?"

"Red, Nicky, and Lorna. I couldn't find Tricia, she's probably raiding the kitchen or she's with Piper and Alex. I know you don't know who these people are but-"

"I do. I remember you telling me stories about them."

"Well, I trust them. They're my fucked-up family," Toni chuckled over the line and Cheryl had no doubt that she was smiling at them.

"As long as you're safe, baby."

"Is that Toni?" Fangs asked. Cheryl nodded.

"Let us speak to her," Sweet Pea held his hand out.

"Toni, I'm going to hand you over to Fangs and Sweets."

"Toni!" Fangs yelled her name.

"Hey, boys, I can't talk long because the battery is kinda low and I wanna use it for as long as this riot lasts."

"We got you. How are you doin' in there?"

"Physically, alright, emotionally... a little iffy. If I knew what was actually going on then I'd feel better but anyone in this damn place could have that gun on them."

"Just stay where you are with your friends. It'll blow over soon."

"Love you both."

The boys smiled like children on Christmas day, "Love you too! Here's Cheryl."

"Hi," the redhead said happily into the phone.

"Baby, I gotta go so I can save the battery. If we find an outlet in here then I'll call back later tonight but the other girls should make their calls too."

"Uh, okay," Cheryl never wanted to hang up the phone, "I love you. Stay safe please. Stay with Red, she sounds like she'll protect you."

Toni laughed softly, "She will," Toni knew this for a fact, "I love you too. Get some sleep, babe, I know you're worried about me but I'm worried for you too. If we don't find an outlet then I'll call you sometime tomorrow. Bye, beautiful."

"Goodbye, Toni."

Cheryl ended the call and looked up to Sweet Pea and Fangs, who were surrounding the stool she was perched on, before they all erupted in goofy smiles and cheering. Cheryl hugged Fangs first, a very open-minded and loving person. He had accepted her as Toni's girlfriend before Sweet Pea did and was very easy to talk to when it came to just about anything. She pulled back and glanced at Sweets who had reached down and hugged her first. Although surprising, Cheryl immediately melted into the gesture. He was always a stone-faced badass but underneath that emotional wall he puts up, much like Cheryl, he was sweet just like his name. He had trust issues and was extremely protective over Toni, who had been hurt so many times in the past, but he saw that Toni was head-over-heels for the ruthless Blossom and he started taking a liking to her. She accepted his witty and sarcastic comments with open arms but she also respects his cold demeanor as a coping mechanism to avoid getting hurt. Most of the time he is easy-going, but when it comes to Toni, he becomes the older brother she's never had. Cheryl accepts their past feuds and their relationship has grown from it but she still hesitates to endearingly address him so she lets him come to her which is why she was floored when he was the one who enveloped her first. Since Toni's imprisonment, he has opened up quite a bit and Cheryl wonders if her lovely girlfriend said anything to him about his stone-cold attitude.

"She's okay! She's okay," Cheryl brushed away a stray happy tear as she pulled away from the tallest boy in the bar.

"Who is?" A hardy voice grumbled behind Sweet Pea. It was FP.

"Toni! She just called and said that she was okay and she found a locked room and she's with people she trusts," the smile on the redhead's face grew tenfold.

A smile spread to FP as well. He loved Toni too and was, astonishingly, nothing like his deadbeat son. He held out his arms for Cheryl who immediately walked over to him and embraced the kind man.

"My girl is okay," he whispered, mostly to himself. Toni was like the daughter he never had. "Does Jughead know?"

FP had tears in his eyes when he pulled away from Cheryl. She hasn't seen him cry since the first time he visited her in prison, but this was different. He was happy.

"No."

"Jughead! Jug!" He turned around to his son and told him.

Cheryl watched the exchange.

Jughead put up a good act because he looked happy too. He hugged his father strongly and closed his eyes. Cheryl smiled at the father and son, but then Jughead's eyes opened and stared menacingly at Cheryl over his father's shoulder. There was the Jughead she knew.

His blue eyes were cold and soulless. Cheryl shivered and looked away. He left an uneasy feeling and Cheryl's stomach dropped. To combat her fear, she stared at the screen watching the riot that Toni was hiding from.


	7. I Just Need a Fix

It was late and the riot was still in full-swing. The ladies had gotten quieter, due to exhaustion and the crash of adrenaline, but Toni, as much as she used to hate the silence, encouraged it now. She finally had time to sit, think, and converse with her fellow inmates surrounding her. Red left early on in the riot, mumbling something about Blanca and Chewbacca. Nicky begged for her to stay but the old Russian mother always got what she wanted.

Lorna had fallen asleep first and Nicky right after her. Toni sat on the floor as the phone charged beside her, the riot had provided some luck in finding an outlet. Toni surveyed the room. Blank white cabinets with a silver handle, several glass jars lined up on the counters with different labels, the barred window with a closed curtain, the dirty gray tiled floors with various stains that probably contained of vomit or blood, the broken desk chair that Lorna was uncomfortably resting in (her neck is going to hurt in the morning), the sink that barely works and spews brown water, and the beautifully-stocked glass cabinets that lined the wall above the counters that held several bottles of pills and medication. Toni liked how the moonlight reflected against the orange plastic of the pill container.

She felt her skin itch for a fix. Some kind of drug to put her mind at ease and put her to sleep. She just didn't want to feel like herself for once. She tried to fight the temptation and think of Cheryl but being surrounded by the drugs was just too damn distracting. Maybe if she called Cheryl to take her mind off of it... but she's probably asleep. Unable to withstand it any longer, she stood up. Everything in her mind was telling her to drown herself in pills and forget the riot ever happened and that her release date was still a week away.

Toni's shaky hands grabbed hold of the silver handle. The texture was irritating, much like every single sound and smell that she was sensing. She opened it and the hinges squeaked quietly. Her fingers roamed over the tops of the pill bottles as she read the labels. _Oxycodone, Fentanyl... Xanax!_

She held the plastic container in her hands. She liked the weight of it as it felt familiar to her.

A hand grabbed her leg and she jumped, almost dropping her precious drugs. "You don't wanna do that," Nicky stood and took the bottle from her hands. "Xanax, god of relief and anxiety disorders. I've had a few run-ins with this guy. Unprescribed, of course. Just pop one in and you're out for the night or, you're seeing dragons and other hallucinations that'll scare the absolute shit out of you. Bad experiences hit you quick but then you're pulling at every string and twisting every top for just one more." She took a breath and shook her head at the bottle. "What are you doin' with this?"

"Exactly what you think," she sighed. "I need it, Nicky, I need-"

Nicky held her hands and looked in her eyes. "You don't need it. You're stronger than this, okay? Think about your girl and what she would think if she saw you right now. She's probably in her bed right now crying over you and this fucking mess. You are better than this, I promise you."

Toni clenched her jaw. What _was_ she doing? She would be messing up her and Cheryl's less than perfect life. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Don't say sorry to me. Call your girlfriend and you tell her you're sorry," a smile formed onto her face, "and tell her how much of a hero I am."

Toni rolled her eyes and walked over to the phone on the ground. "I don't wanna wake her up though."

"Cheryl will get over it."

"No, I meant Lorna."

Both girls looked at the sleeping brunette.

"She'll forgive you. Maybe not in the first minute her eyes open up but she loves romance more than anything."

Toni flipped open the phone and pulled it from the charger. She called her one and only saved contact. It rang through her ear.

On the other side was Cheryl who was delightfully drunk in her bed. She felt her phone buzz in her hand and saw Toni was calling her. She answered it as fast as she possibly could.

"Toni?"

"Hey, babe," she was whispering to prevent stirring Lorna.

"Hi! Oh my god, I haven't heard from you in ages." She sounded strangely chipper for the current circumstances.

"Yeah, it feels like it... are you drunk?"

"A little. I went to the Wyrm."

"How did you get back home?"

"Sweet Pea and F-Fangs. They said they'd stay with me for tonight but I just wanted to be alone in bed tonight."

Toni smiled. Although, she destroyed her relationships with people on the outside, it seemed to bring them together. "That's nice, babe."

"Yeah. I figured they wouldn't wanna hear me in my room."

Toni paused and made a face, which Nicky took notice of. Nichols was listening in on the conversation. "What are you doing in your room?"

"Masturbating, obviously," she sighed into the phone.

"Right now? While you're talking to me?"

"Yeah. Your voice helps the process."

Toni's eyebrows flew up. Nicky laughed on the other side of the room. Toni flipped her off.

Cheryl moaned, "Talk dirty to me, TT."

"Baby, not that I don't want to, but I don't exactly have the privacy for that right now."

She whined.

"And I wanted to talk to you about something serious."

"You're such a buzzkill," Nicky whispered to her.

Toni covered the receiver, "Nicky, fuck off!"

"Should I stop," was heard faintly from Cheryl on the other end as Toni pulled the phone back to her ear. "Toni?"

"No, uh, whatever you wanna do, Cher. I just think I'm gonna kill the mood."

"I'll finish real quick. You can tell me though."

"I need you to pay attention."

"Trust me, Toni, the only thing I'm paying attention to right now is your voice."

Toni chuckled. "Alright, baby, well I just wanted to say that I'm doing okay right now. I, uh, found some Xanax and I was about to take it because it used to help me relax when I was out of prison. Nicky stopped me and she said I should call you. I'm still struggling with drugs and I wanted to say sorry for that. I owe it to you to get clean."

"Aw, babe. Are you okay now?"

"Yeah. I guess I just needed you."

"Tell Nicky I said thank you. She's been saving your ass lately."

Toni laughed quietly, "You're right. I will. I just wish Jughead didn't-"

"Jughead, saw him today. And a few days ago."

"Where?"

"The Wyrm, his house, Snapchat-"

"His _house?_ What were you doing there?" Toni feared that Cheryl had attended one of those secret impromptu parties but she seemed so mad and riled up at just his name. Maybe they had smoothed it over.

"I pulled a knife on him and-"

" _You what!?_ "

Lorna woke up. "What's goin' on?"

"Go back to sleep, kid. Just some family values in question."

"Cheryl, why _the fuck_ would you do that?"

"He hurt you, TT. In every way possible. Maybe it'll sound better if I backtrack." She took a breath before beginning, "After I visited you and you told me the stuff he made you do, I went to his house to tell him never to invite you to one of his parties again or sell you any drugs. He kept saying to me all of this stuff about you, all lies, and he mentioned my Sweetwater River accident. He pulled the knife on me and threatened to kill me so I pulled an even bigger one on him and he backed down. Nothing got physical. I left after that."

"Holy shi-"

"And then today at the Wyrm he kept calling you all these names and making fun of you and saying you were going to get extra time and he called you a whore and a slut and we had another stand-off. No knives this time but I did slap him in the face. He deserved it, I think."

Toni took a shaky breath. She hadn't thought about getting extra time because of the riot and she definitely didn't think Cheryl would step foot in Sunnyside Trailer Park if Toni wasn't beside her.

Jughead is dangerous. He may have liked Toni but he never took a liking to Cheryl no matter how much Toni had begged him to just sit down and talk to her. She knows he is part of her gang, something she only does small jobs for and mostly maintains the bar, but Jughead could be too deep in. His father wasn't a bad man but Toni had a feeling that Jughead was a part of something bigger and darker.

"Please don't do that again, Cheryl. I love you for it and I'm happy you got out some unresolved anger, but something could have happened to you and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you were hurt."

"I didn't plan on going to his house, TT. I was so angry after the visit that I just blacked out and the next thing I knew, I was in front of his trailer with a knife in my boot."

"Babe..." Toni sighed. She was coming down from her worry and her entire body was sweating and shaking. She knew going to prison was dangerous for her but she never thought about how life would move on, for the better or worse, while she was away. "Never do that again. I don't care if you have backup from Sweet Pea or Fangs or both. Jug is capable of things that you couldn't imagine."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry, Toni. Never again I promise."

"Maybe you should tell Sweets and Fangs to stay at your house for the night. Did they leave yet?"

"Yeah, they left about an hour ago."

"I'm sure they'll come back if you ask them. I may be overreacting but I just don't want Jug to do anything crazy tonight especially if you're home alone."

"I'll call them when we're done. I don't want to hang up yet."

Toni smiled to herself and looked down at her nails. She really needed to stop biting on them. "Did I ruin your alone time?"

"Actually you made it better but I'm still pretty horny. I might get a vibrator."

"I support that one-hundred percent. Order one right now, I'm serious."

"I'll think about it," Cheryl decided to tease.

"Baby, I am thinking about it. Come on," Toni turned her head away from Nicky and spoke quietly into the phone. "When I get back, can you even imagine the amount of sex we're gonna have? Every morning, showers, making breakfast, during movies, before dinner, after dinner, before we go to sleep, _car sex!_ Fucking hell, we could wake up in the middle of the night and I'll go down on you. Buy the vibrator 'cause I wanna use it on you. My mouth might get boring after a while."

"I could never get tired of your mouth or tongue but I'll do as you say."

"I can't stop thinking about how you feel on top of me while my fingers-"

"Hey, not that I mind the dirty talk but, Jesus Christ, what am I 'spose to do in here? There's nothin' to look at. I'm just staring at the wall in the dark while I got one nutty Italian sleepin' in a chair next to me and a horny teenager fucking someone over the phone across from me."

"Sorry, Nick, I'll stop."

"No, no, please keep going. I'm withering away in my dry season. Revive me."

Toni rolled her eyes and put the phone back to her ear. Heavy breathing, quiet moaning, and short gasps were all heard on the speaker.

"Toni!" Cheryl shouted loudly and sighed.

"You all good, babe?" She asked after a moment.

She was panting, "Oh, yeah, I'm perfect."

"Great. I gotta go now and get some sleep. Call Sweet Pea and Fangs."

"Yes, baby, I will. Goodnight. Stay safe."

Cheryl hung the phone up and immediately called Fangs. Considering how her and Sweet Pea are still getting comfortable with one another, she figured she should take the safer route.

"Hello," Fangs' voice was groggy. Perhaps he was sleeping already.

"Hi, Fangs, I just got off the phone with Toni."

There seemed to be a shuffling sound in the back, indicating that he had sat up, "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine. Still behind locked doors with her prison-family. I told her about Jughead and she wants you and Sweet Pea to come spend the night with me. If you don't want to-"

"No! I think that's a great decision. Definitely beats my trailer," he moved the phone away from his face, "Sweets! Sweet Pea!"

A muffled, "What?"

"We're going to Thistlehouse!"

"Why? Is Cheryl okay?"

Cheryl smiled to herself. The fact that he thought of her well-being was warming.

"She's fine. Toni wants us to spend the night with her."

"More than okay with me."

Fangs had returned to the call, "We'll be over in twenty."

"Thank you, guys. I know this probably wasn't how you wanted to spend your night but it means a lot to me."

"Of course. Anything for you, Cheryl."

It was nice to hear them refer to her as Cheryl rather than Toni's girlfriend no matter how honoring that title was.

So she stayed in her room for twenty minutes, tidying up anything that was less than perfect and blowing up the air mattresses. They were more comfortable than a standard air bed and would probably be way more comfortable than the cots that the boys spent their nights on. She put on decent clothes that were way more toned down than her day-to-day, sweatpants and a crop top — Toni's crop top. She also had Toni's yellow hoodie in case she was cold. It was amazing how much it still smelled like her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope everyone is staying healthy and staying INSIDE. update: i am now unemployed, i no longer live at school because of COVID-19, my mom has no room for me at home so I am staying with my dad. I haven't left my house in about a week unless it was for grocery runs. I had a fever, my stepdad had a fever, my mom had a fever. I am feeling okay now, so is my mom, but my stepdad has a reoccurring fever so he better STOP GOING TO WORK. but for real, y'all better stop going outside and spreading that shit cause i'm tryna hang out with my friends again.


	8. The Next of Kin

Twenty minutes passed and the boys were nothing if not punctual. Her door bell rang and she peered out the window to make sure it was who she was expecting. Sure enough, two Serpents with golden hearts stood at the front.

She opened the door quickly so they wouldn't freeze out there.

"Hey, guys, thank you for coming."

"Of course," Fangs had hugged her. He was always a hugger. What she didn't expect was the following embrace from Sweet Pea.

"We're glad you're okay and we'll make sure of that."

Cheryl closed the door as the vents soon filled the room with heat that made their cheeks rosy from the temperature change.

"I have two air mattresses for you guys in my room so you can sleep there or one of the guest bedrooms down the hall. My room is upstairs so if you could follow me–"

The door bell rang again. They all turned to look at the dark oak barrier that kept all strangers from coming in.

Cheryl looked out the door and immediately recognized who it was. She opened the door wider to show a bright and ecstatic woman.

"Hello, former classmates," Veronica was bundled up in black fur and ear muffs. "Happy to see we can all play nice."

"Veronica, not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?"

"You weren't answering your phone and I figured you might want some cheering up," she looked passed Cheryl, "and someone invited me."

"I did," Sweet Pea took a step forward with a smile of his own, a rare sight.

She held up and shook a white bag with a familiar logo. "Anybody up for Pop's?"

*

Everything felt like a dream. The absence of heat against her cheek, the headache she had, even the lackluster flip phone beside her as she peeked an eye open hoping that she was drifting on a cloud somewhere rather than slumped against a prison floor during a riot.

Toni was the second to open her eyes. Nicky always seemed to be awake no matter what time of the day it was. It was still dark out so Toni supposes they had only slept a few hours which, now that she thinks of it, made a lot more sense considering how unsafe they all felt.

"Mornin', sunshine," her voice wavering through a raspy mumble.

"Hey," Toni sat up and looked to Lorna. "She wake up at all?"

"Still snoozin'. Last time I got that much sleep, I was in a coma recovering from my last overdose." That's when Toni noticed the cigarette in Nicky's hand. It looked like it was half-way to the butt. "Must be stressed," she took another drag.

"Where'd you get that?"

"Tricia came by and found it in one of the cops' lockers."

"Tricia? How is she doing? Is she okay? Where is she staying?"

"Relax. She's fine. I told her to come stay with us but she gets claustrophobic," Nicky chuckled, "go figure." She shook her head before continuing. "She's hauled up with Piper, Alex, Red, and a couple others. Apparently, Frieda has some kinda bunker in the abandoned pool. They're playin' Frogger."

"Lucky bastards."

"But look," Nicky took out a few bags of candy and playing cards. "You wanna gamble?"

Toni cocked her head to the side and nodded. She scooted against the tiled floor and sat in front of Nicky, the unassigned dealer. They had three bags of candy: Milky Ways, Twizzlers, and Kit-Kats. All of which were small bars, like the ones the middle-class families give out on Halloween.

They were on their fifth round and Nicky had a winning streak. Lorna woke from her slumber and reached down to grab one of Nicky's Milky Ways.

"Hey, don't take from my stash, take from the pot. I earned this."

Lorna just ruffled Nicky's hair as she took a bite from the candy. Although it wasn't on the surface, Toni could tell that Nicky had butterflies, she always did when Morello showed any type of affection.

Toni smiled at the scene but kept her mouth shut. She knew better because she had also felt those butterflies once.

*

Cheryl was currently buzzed in her bed with Veronica, Sweet Pea, and Fangs all around her. They had eaten and now they were taking down Penelope's liquor collection. Cheryl was holding a dark brown whiskey in her hand as laughter was bellowing out of her. Her stomach felt warm and her cheeks were probably red from the alcohol, but her appearance was the least of her concern at the moment because she felt like she was floating. She was so high up in the clouds that she didn't even hear the door bell.

Sweet Pea got up to answer it, he didn't drink much because he knew he had to stay vigilant; Toni's orders.

Cheryl was singing a song from her childhood as Veronica joined in and Fangs laughed with half a beer in his hand. He abstained from drinking too much too.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

Cheryl heard Sweet Pea shout from downstairs. Veronica was still singing and Fangs had turned his head towards the stairs. He stood and looked from the doorway.

"What's wrong?" Veronica asked when she noticed the shift in everybody else.

"Someone's here," Cheryl answered coldly.

Fangs ran down the stairs when he saw who it was, "Dude, you can't come in here!"

There was a muffled conversation in the foyer. Cheryl couldn't move; or think. The thought that someone came to her house to harm her was terrifying enough and it was even scarier when she could only think of one person who would want to do such a thing.

Cheryl's body moved unbeknownst to the rest of her mind. She wasn't even thinking, she was just watching the blur of her room as she moved toward her bedroom door. She heard Fangs and Sweet Pea bickering louder than the intruder.

"Wait, Cheryl," Veronica called for her and ran to her side. "We don't have to see who that is. Probably just some weirdo asking for directions."

"What would your dad think?" Sweet Pea shouted downstairs.

"I think we know exactly who that is, Veronica," Cheryl moved for the stairs.

Veronica stopped her, "I don't think we need to go down there."

"I just wanna see him-"

"He'll leave soon-"

"I just want to-"

"Cheryl!" Veronica tried to stop her again.

She turned to her, "I just want to look him in the eyes and I want him to tell me he was here to kill me," she didn't know why she said that. She just needed to know what she had to look out for. She needed to see the evil in Jughead's eyes. "I just need to know."

Veronica was shocked to hear that. She didn't know it was that serious.

Cheryl finally walked passed her and into the hall. All the boys looked up at her but she was only looking back at Jughead's stone cold eyes.

"Why are you here?" Her voice echoed in the foyer.

"Look, I," he sighed and shifted his feet, "I came to apologize... for Toni."

Cheryl tilted her head. "What do you mean?" She walked down the stairs slowly.

Sweet Pea had his hand on Jughead's chest to prevent him from moving closer to Cheryl. Fangs shut the door because it was letting the cold in.

"Apologize for Toni. What does that... what does that mean?"

Jughead looked around. He met Cheryl's eyes and slide his tongue across his bottom lip. He was nervous.

"I turned her in," he was quiet; almost muffled.

Sweet Pea and Fangs snapped their heads to him.

Cheryl's heart stopped beating. She took a shaky step closer.

"What?" Her mind felt fuzzy and she grew wickedly sober. She shook her head. There's no possible way she heard what she thought she heard. "What are you saying to me right now?"

Jughead looked down at his feet.

"Look at me," Cheryl said. She went right up to him. "Look at me and say that again."

Sweet Pea and Fangs backed off of Jughead because whatever hell Cheryl was about to bring down, they thought Jughead deserved it.

"I-"

" _Look at me!_ "

He snapped his head up. "I turned her in."

Hell froze over. Cheryl tried to contain her rage but there was no use; it was impossible. She didn't know how to react, to respond, all she saw was the red that had taken over Jughead's gray beanje. The collar was cut up to look like a crown and all Cheryl could think of was how stupid it looked rather than the prince status it was supposed to honor. He was no king, FP was, but Jughead was the typical spoiled son of the royal family.

"Get out," Cheryl demanded behind clenched teeth.

"Cheryl, I–"

" _Get out!_ " She was holding the kind of anger that made her stone-faced but in this moment in time, she felt tears running down her cheeks.

She slapped him and it echoed through the room. She began beating his chest because it was out of anger and not strength, in fact, Cheryl felt depleted in that moment. She felt as if Jughead had won, like he got what he wanted, because Toni was in prison, Cheryl was distraught, and any trace the police had on Jughead was directed at Toni and she paid the consequences.

Fangs held Cheryl back. He comforted her on the sidelines as Sweet Pea loosened his grip on Jughead.

"You need to leave," Sweet Pea said. He wanted him to walk out of here by himself rather than being forced out.

"I'm sorry."

"You're _sorry?_ Our friend is in prison trying to stay safe in a riot. Do you even know Penny is in there with her?"

Jughead froze up.

"Do you even know what Toni has to be afraid of? You ruined _lives, Jughead!_ You think she'll ever be the same if and when she gets out? Who the fuck knows when that'll be? She was supposed to be out in a week!"

Sweet Pea shoved him towards the door, his anger beginning to boil.

Jughead did not move. "Penny's in there?"

"You didn't even know that, did you? You put a Serpent in danger, Jughead! You probably put all of them in danger! And what do you have to say for yourself?"

"I... I didn't know."

"How can you even train to be the Serpent King when all you do is put us on the frontlines? All you do is sit back and watch!"

Fangs broke off from Cheryl when Veronica came to hold her. He walked up to Jughead with angry tears held in his eyes, "Some leader you are."

"Get the fuck out!" Sweet Pea shoved him.

The beanie-clad embarrassment walked towards the door with his hands in view so they knew he had no tricks up his sleeve.

Sweet Pea slammed the door and held his hand on the knob. That was a lot to process, especially from someone you trusted.

Cheryl cried quietly into the Lodge's shoulder. She wanted to call Toni to tell her but she was in a prison riot and there was no telling if she was in a safe area to have her phone go off. She didn't want to put her in more danger.

Sweet Pea finally detached himself from the door, "Fuck!"

Fangs went to his side and tried to calm him.

"No, dude, that's fucking fucked! We have to do something about it!"

"Like tell FP?"

"I don't know if he'll believe us, I mean, FP is a guy of proof and we don't have any besides Jughead's word."

Veronica lifted her head, "Yeah, but it's his son's. He'd have to do something right? Put him on trial?"

Sweet Pea looked down at his phone.

Fangs shook his head, "He can't put his own son on trial, it's biased, and Jug wouldn't give his drug business away."

"Then rally up the Serpents and have them do it. Have the next of kin do it."

"The next of kin is Toni."

Sweet Pea interrupted, "FP said to turn on the TV. Channel seven."

Cheryl, for the most part, had composed herself and went to the living room. She put the TV on and went straight to the news.

It was the same view of the helicopter over the prison except that it had a spotlight on the roof because it was dark.

There were a few prisoners holding signs that said, **_I didn't hurt anybody, please spare us._**

And others like, **_Don't shoot!_**

The news headline at the bottom of the screen read: **INFILTRATION OF LEOPOLD & LOEB DETENTION CENTER TO COMMENCE SOON**

Cheryl felt her stomach sink. Those riot guards had guns, shock shields, batons, and absolutely no pity for these people. Her Toni was in there for fuck sake.

She wanted to call her and warn her but there was a part of Cheryl that knew Toni was aware.

"We need to go."

Veronica started, "Cheryl, we've all been drinking. None of us can drive–"

"Sweet Pea didn't," they all turned to him, "you only had a beer or two right?"

"I... yeah."

"Can you drive us?"

"I don't know if they'll let us anywhere near it."

Cheryl looked at the TV then, noticing the blockades set up to separate the bystanders and the police. "Look," she went to the screen and pointed, "we can stand there. They allow that."

"Alright. Let's all get into warm clothes then."

Everyone ran up the stairs and quickly dressed into winter gear. They weren't sure how long they'd be there for so they had to bundle up. Cheryl wore Toni's sweatshirt.

The redhead had finished dressing first, as she was in more of a hurry than the others. She ruffled through one of the kitchen drawers and found hand warmers. It might not warm them up completely but it was something.

She heard footsteps on the stairs and rushed to the door. "Are we ready?"

"Let's go," Sweet Pea jingled the keys between his fingers and held the door for everyone.

"Lock it," Cheryl said as she passed.

He did as he was told and closed it. They squeezed into Sweet Pea's truck and he started the engine. It was colder than they expected tonight. "You're gonna have to guide me, Cheryl."

"Just go. I'll tell you when to turn."

The vehicle went forward and they were on their way.

"Thank you for this, Sweet Pea."

"No need to thank me. She's my friend too."

"That goes to you guys too," she looked at Fangs and Veronica.

Veronica smiled and rubbed her arm, "Always here for you."

Cheryl leaned forward and pressed kisses to Sweet Pea and Fangs' cheeks. The drive always felt long when Cheryl drove on the weekend mornings but tonight would feel like the longest drive yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the virus is heating up in Jersey so I am staying in, hope you guys are doing the same. Stay healthy everyone!


	9. Chapter 9

"They're comin'," Nicky called from the front door. Toni was cowering in the corner she had taken as her territory since the riot broke out.

"Oh, Nicky, what do we do?" Lorna asked in that damsel-in-distress type of way.

"Just stay calm. Everyone stay calm and get on your stomachs when they get closer. I mean, what's the worst that could happen in this situation, huh?"

"Uh, we all get shot," Toni said coolly. She was taking this invasion surprising well for what was at stake.

Lorna whined and collided into Nicky's shoulder. Nichols looked at her.

"What the fuck are ya doin'? I'm tryna comfort the kid."

Toni shrugged and glanced at the door.

"So this is where you've been hiding out."

Penny was at the door with a guard's baton. She put it against the bars of the door and let it glide over the others. She had her tongue between her teeth.

"I was lookin' for ya the whole time. I should've guessed that you surrounded yourself with pills."

Toni tried to keep her breathing steady. The only thing between Toni and Penny was the locked door... and Nichols.

"The guards are coming, Penny, it might be wise of you to throw your weapons away."

Penny pouted. "Aw, cute." She tilted her head and took a step closer, "Then how would I have protected myself from your little cellmate?"

Toni felt her whole body shiver, "What are you talking about?"

"Cute little blonde with the neck tattoo. What was her name again?"

"Penny, what the fuck are you–"

" _Shut it_ , Pinky," she banged the door with her baton. "You know how business goes. You're a Serpent."

"She wasn't involved in any of this!"

"Oh, you little naïve Serpent, she was involved once I knew she meant something to you," she laughed.

"You're sick."

"So is she. All I had to do was give her a bag of pills and lock her in the closet right around the corner. You were in here, oblivious, when you could've helped her."

Toni finally felt the tears in her eyes. The shock had paralyzed her for a moment but knowing that Tricia was around the corner struggling with her addiction when Toni could've helped her, brought her back to reality and reality, right now, sucked. Tricia struggled heavily with addiction.

"She might still be awake," Penny looked to her right as if to see the young girl sitting on the floor with an empty bag in her hands and her eyes rolled to the back of her skull. "You have two options: let her overdose or open this door and go help her." She banged on the door again, "Your. Choice."

Toni took a step forward only to be pushed back slightly by Nicky.

"I'll go."

"Nicky, no–"

"I can't lose–"

"–Nicky, she's here for me!"

"I can't lose you too!"

Toni took a step back. She felt a tear roll down.

"I've gotten up from worse. You've dealt with this long enough. It's my turn." Nicky held her shoulders and spoke calmly to her. She had tears in her eyes too.

"Nicky, don't," Lorna pleaded from the other side of the room.

Nicky ignored her, "We're family, right?" Her voice broke.

"Clock's ticking. She might even be closer to death and there's no way of going back. I'd hurry up if I were you."

"Right," Toni responded.

Nicky kissed her forehead and turned around slowly to meet the eyes of her maker. This may be the last time she ever had a chance to stare down the thing that might kill her. From weed, to pills, to syringes, to cigarettes, and finally to Penny. This could be it. This could finally be it.

Nicky turned around only to hear a ping and a body drop.

Red was standing behind Penny with a frying pan and widened eyes.

"Ma?"

"Hi, Nicky."

Blanca was behind Red. "Oh my God."

"Ma, what're you doing here," she opened the door and embraced the Russian woman, "you crazy Russian son of a bitch," she kissed her cheek.

"Where have you been this whole time?" Toni asked as she hugged her.

"Searching in that guard's office for something incriminating."

The Russian sounded way more jittery than normal.

"Did you chug like nine cups of coffee, Red? What's up with you?"

"We found Chewbacca's vitamins!" Blanca held out a little white bottle.

Nicky grabbed it and read it over. "Pharmaceutical-grade uppers, great! You're fucking bouncing off the walls, Ma."

"Who am I to know what they are?"

"Reading the fucking bottle before slipping one down your throat!" Nicky argued.

Red rolled her eyes and looked at the three girls in front of her. "Where's Tricia?"

Toni's eyes widened as she pushed by Nicky, "Oh my God, Miller."

Everyone else followed. Toni took a left and down to the next corner, making another left. There may be guards coming but she was more concerned about her family. Tricia _really_ struggled from addiction.

Toni found the closet and unlocked it. She took a breath before turning the knob.

There she was. Tricia Miller, sitting on the linoleum floor with her legs out straight, her hands placed delicately in her lap, and her head turned away from the door with her eyes closed. There was an empty plastic bag in between her lifeless fingers.

"Tricia! Tricia, hey, it's me, Toni," the Serpent sat beside her and held her head against her chest. She began to cry.

Blanca stood at the door while the rest of Tricia's family gathered around her. Red sat down on the other side of Tricia and held her hand. Nicky hugged Lorna as the small Italian had begun to cry.

" _T... Toni,_ " the blonde woman whispered so very quietly.

"Hey, Miller," Toni looked at her eyes. They were clouded over and her eyelids were heavy. There was no saving her.

"I'm s... sorry..." her voice was so weak that most of the sentence was lost in short, strained breaths.

"Not your fault, kid," Nicky shook her head with tears in her eyes.

Tricia's skin was beginning to look blue as a choking sound was coming from her throat.

"Nicky, go get help!" Toni called.

Nicky stood and ran into the hallway with guards. She put her hands up. "Help! I need medical! Help!"

Lorna began screaming with her. "Help us! She's having an overdose!"

The guards turned their attention to them and aimed their weapons. One of the guards put his hand up to signal to the group to hold their fire.

"On your stomach!" He called in front of her.

"Please, there's a girl in there, she's dying–"

The guards pushed Nicky and Lorna against the wall and cuffed them. They were escorted out down the hall.

"There is a girl in the closet and she needs help! Please!"

The screams faded as they were carried further down the hallway.

Toni and Red stayed with Tricia until her final breath. Her head was still resting on Toni's shoulder until she realized that there was no sound coming from her.

Toni turned her head to look at her. Eyes closed, unmoving. Tears fell down Toni's cheeks.

"It's okay, Miller. It's okay," she whimpered. "Red?"

"Yes, sweetie," she kept her eyes forward to avoid looking at the dead girl between them.

"She's gone, Red."

"I know, Toni. I know,” her voice was quiet, quite the opposite of how she was otherwise.

There were footsteps coming closer to the door and then a booming voice from beside the doorway, “On your stomachs!”

Toni did not obey, instead she just held Tricia’s head against her chest. Red shed silent tears before the SWAT member came in and pointed a gun at them.

“Stand up!”

Toni kissed Tricia’s head before standing, Red did the same.

He pushed them both against the wall beside Tricia’s lifeless body. He handcuffed Red first, seeing how she seemed to have more power behind her and Toni looked like a mess. The officer pushed Toni against the wall and put her hands behind her back. His hand grazed her ass before cuffing her. He leaned up to her ear.

“You two are going away for a long time because of this,” he huffed. 

Toni closed her eyes and bit her lip, clearly overcome with emotion and finally breaking down.

“Got a fine ass though,” he finished. 

He took them both into the hallway, calling for another officer to help escort them out. They went down the same hallway that Nicky and Lorna were taken down and the doors open at the end were guarded by four armed men. The whole situation made Toni sick to her stomach, as if this had been all her fault somehow. She thought that maybe, just maybe, if she hadn’t been carrying that one ounce of weed then she would not have been in prison and then she wouldn’t have interacted with Penny.

That’s right. _Penny._

Toni turned to look into the medicine closet where Penny should have still been knocked out but when Toni turned her head, there was nothing there except for a few droplets of blood from either the impact on her head or her busted lip considering how she fell straight down. Penny had disappeared once again.

As they came closer to the main lobby, she looked into the visitation room and remembered Cheryl. How did she not think to call her before she was escorted out? Then she thought of the talks they had in visitation and how Toni apologized for everything every single weekend. She never felt much guilt behind it, she felt way more guilty about being so intoxicated that night that she never remembered having the weed on her.

She was trying to remember if she had bought it before or was going to buy it. Through the whole year in prison, Toni had never thought about that night and rather what she would say to Cheryl the next time that beautiful redhead came to see her. Toni knew she was high, and drunk, and doesn’t remember much. She was leaving the Wyrm, she knows that, she also knows that Jughead was there and she had popped a few pills and taken way too many shots. Jughead left early that night to go back to his trailer.

_Where was I walking to?_

Then she remembered.

She had been intoxicated on the walk to Jughead’s trailer. She was going to buy weed from Jughead for Cheryl’s birthday but when the cops stopped her, she didn’t have anything on her. All she had was the alcohol and drugs in her blood but the weed, she knew she didn’t have. That was the whole reason Toni was stopped, because she was found intoxicated and on the way to Sunnyside Trailer Park. The cops searched her bag and found the weed in there and arrested her on the spot.

Someone planted it.

It could have been the policemen, but they seemed too nice to do that. They only pulled over to see if she needed a ride home because she was drunk and walking alone in a bad part of town. They only searched her bag to find an address to take her on her license and that’s when they found the little baggie of the natural hallucinogen. They took her into the station that night and then she was processed into Leopold & Loeb for one year.

She thought that maybe she was drug tested and charged with that, but she remembers her charge was drug possession and intent to distribute said drug. 

Toni didn’t want to think anymore. Tricia’s death was too heavy on her mind and the sunlight coming from the doors was too bright. She was carried out onto a controlled area where several of the other inmates were. They were all sitting on the ground with their hands still cuffed behind their backs. There could have at least ten guards around the perimeter. A few yards away were families, reporters, and the prison administration. Her eyes squinted as she escorted down the line and finally stopped at an open spot. The guard pushed her onto the ground and walked away. Toni’s cheek hit the dirt and she let out a grunt.

As she struggled to get up to sit down properly, she heard all of the families shouting the inmate’s names to get their attention. She just kept her head down at the ground.

Then she heard her name.

Toni’s head shot up in search of the familiar voice.

Her eyes landed on Cheryl.

_Holy shit,_ did she want to run to her.

Toni just stared. She didn’t have enough energy to scream how much she loves her how she is just so damn sorry… but for what?

She didn’t buy the drugs that night, she didn’t cause the riot, she never messed up their life because Cheryl still loves her unconditionally.

She didn’t buy the drugs that night, she never held the ounce in her bag, she never attempted to distribute because she **didn’t know** she had it.

_Jughead._

_Why was he here?_

Toni’s eyes shifted over the beanie-clad boy whose eyes seemed darker than ever before. He was in his Serpent jacket, his hands stuffed in his pockets, and he was going through the crowd to get to the front.

Cheryl turned her head to see him. His eyes met with hers.

Toni had a bad feeling in her stomach. A _very_ bad feeling.

She tried to get a guard’s attention but they were too busy speaking to one another to pay attention. Finally, one looked at her.

“Quiet, inmate.”

Toni didn’t like how fast Jughead was walking toward her girl.

Toni stood.

“Jughead, stop!” she screamed. 

“What’re you doin’, kid?” Nicky yelled from the other side of her.

“Jughead!”

He looked at her and that’s when she noticed the gun in his jacket.

Her heart froze and her body stilled. 

_Why did he have a gun? Who was he here to…_

_Was he here to shoot **Cheryl?**_

Most of it made sense now but Toni was missing some of the pieces.

Jughead planted the drugs on Toni to get her locked away but… for what? She was missing a motive.

Toni was locked away but the target had moved onto Cheryl’s back after she threatened him at his trailer. She knew about the drugs and what kind of things he had been doing but why would that prompt him to get rid of her too?

His hand moved quickly and Toni’s life flashed before her eyes. She heard a muffled gunshot and screaming but all of that was fading. She looked down slowly as warm blood fell from her lips. When she looked at the bullet hole in her chest, she began to hurt everywhere. The hole in her body was the size of a nickel, she imagined the exit wound was bigger. Her eyelids grew heavy as she closed them and collapsed onto the ground. She wanted to sleep so badly but the wetness of the blood on her stomach kept her awake.

Her vision was finally fading and she felt an odd sense of peace as if she was being greeted into the gates of Heaven at that exact moment. She heard one voice before she finally faded.

“ _TT!_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been a minute, huh? time to update that means.
> 
> did absolutely nothing during quarantine, started a ton of stories but left them all unfinished. Finished my first semester with flying colors, protested for BLM a ton, had a birthday, dyed my hair blonde (i like it still), went back to work, got 4 more tattoos, went back to school for the fall, voted for the first time!!, had my first overdose :/ (don't do drugs kids), passed my fall semester with flying colors, christmas was fun i guess?, started talking to a boy in December, new years was fun!! but a car exploded down the street, fully accepted i am in love with my best friend even though she doesn't love me back in that way, decided i need medication for my mental health (going to a psychiatrist soon), watched my best friend go out on dates with some guy that i now hate because she deserves so much more, started sad drinking, got yelled at for sad drinking, started class, and that boy I was talking to in december told me that he doesn't see us going anywhere, which, props to him for being upfront but that shit still hurts.
> 
> that's really it. ups and downs, mostly downs to be honest or maybe that's just what i focus on.
> 
> buuuuuuuut RIVERDALE comes back today (also sleepy joe boy got sworn in so yay, sorry to bring up politics) and i figured that we should celebrate with a main character death in my story. sorry.
> 
> hope you all have a wonderful day!!!!

**Author's Note:**

> I was going to post this after I finished it but I love this story and wanted to share. Please leave opinions, comments, theories down below! I love to see what you guys think.


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